


What It Means To Have Family

by Suuz_5_5



Category: NCIS: Los Angeles
Genre: F/M, Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-06-24 12:23:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 46
Words: 110,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15630621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suuz_5_5/pseuds/Suuz_5_5
Summary: Family can mean nothing but it also can mean everything. And how does life change when a child is involved?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 1_

'Since when do you get in on time?' Kensi joked as she saw her partner already sitting behind his desk when she walked into the bullpen.

'Well, my girlfriend decided that she wanted to spend some time alone,' Deeks answered her. 'So I had nothing else to do than come in early…Since you are a girl…what do you think she meant by 'spending time alone'?' Kensi laughed and she walked over to him until she stood in front of him. She leaned forward.

'She probably meant this,' she said and she kissed Deeks. She felt him smile against her lips and she was pulled onto his lap. Laughing she broke the kiss off, slapping him against his chest. 'We're at work! So keep your hands to yourself.' She got off his lap and smiled at Deeks who stared at her.

'I just missed my girlfriend,' he then smiled as well. 'My bed was very lonely this night. And now my girlfriend didn't even bring me some coffee.' Kensi laughed and she sat down behind her own desk.

'It's Sam's turn to bring the coffee,' she told him. 'And at work I'm not your girlfriend. Don't forget that, or your bed will get another lonely night.' Deeks' face immediately turned serious, with a little twinkle in his eyes, and he glanced at his paperwork.

'Lonely night?' Callen asked Deeks when he walked in. Deeks shot up.

'Why does everyone think I had a lonely night?' he asked. 'Just because I get into work this one time?'

'Yes, you are never on time,' Sam answered and he put a coffee on Deeks' desk. 'You're always late because you had to catch some more waves or because your girlfriend kept you up late.' Sam glanced at Kensi, who was smiling.

'So maybe I had a lonely night,' Deeks said. 'But you should all be happy with it: I was here on time.'

'No, we're not used to that,' Callen said. 'Now we can't talk about you.'

'You…you talk about me when I'm not around?' Deeks asked, sitting up straight.

'Of course, what else is there to talk about?' Sam replied. 'No one else is late enough so that we can talk all about him.' Deeks grimaced but never had a change to reply as Eric and Nell appeared at the stairs.

'We have a case,' Eric announced.

* * *

The team didn't spend much time in the Ops Center and went to the crime scene. It was a bloody one. A young man lay on his stomach in the middle of a room of which the walls were covered in colorful drawings and artwork. He was shot in his back, four times. His blood covered several chairs and tables, ruining some of the drawings lying on the table. At the entrance of the room were people standing. Adults, but children as well. All had gone here for a nice day, but ran into the horrible scene.

Nell had told them that the victim was the twenty-five year old Matt Gordons, who was a volunteer at the youth center the team was standing in. Matt had grown up in foster family that used to beat him. He had discovered art as a way to escape that abuse. And with his love for art he had found his place at the youth center, where he had never left.

'Four in the back…that is a painful way to die,' Deeks noted looking at the body.

'Who found him?' Kensi asked Callen, who pointed at a young woman who was crying in a man's arms.

'Katya Joefkov,' Callen answered. 'She found him when she wanted to open the youth center for the early children. And the man who she is with, is the owner of the youth center Paul Maltino.'

'A volunteer at a youth center,' Sam mumbled. 'Why kill him? A youth center usually does something good for the kids from the neighborhood, keeping them on the right track.'

'Kensi and Deeks, see if anyone outside saw something,' Callen said and Deeks and Kensi nodded. 'Sam and I will see what Maltino can tell us about our victim.' Kensi glanced at the children who were standing outside.

'How many have seen the body?' she wondered out loud.

'Probably not something they never saw before,' Deeks answered her.

* * *

'I ain't telling you squad,' said a boy who introduced himself as Tiny. 'Look, I liked the dude. He was nice. But I don't know anything about the one who killed him. And I'm not stupid enough to know something.' The boy looked in the direction of the room. 'Can I go now? I have school.' Deeks gestured a LAPD officer to come over.

'Give him your details,' he told Tiny. 'Then you're free to go to school.' Tiny shrugged and turned to the officer. Deeks shook his head as he walked over to Kensi, who just finished talking to another boy.

'This kids haven't seen anything,' she told him and she sighed.

'Which is probably the wisest thing,' Deeks replied. He pointed at a girl sitting against a tree on the other side of the street. 'Have you talked to her yet?' Kensi shook her head.

'She was next.' Deeks nodded and they crossed to street, walking towards the girl.

'Hey, I'm LAPD detective Marty Deeks,' Deeks said and he showed the girl his badge. 'And this is NCIS Agent Kensi Blye.' The girl's eyes turned scared and she stuffed her book into her bag.

'I have nothing to tell you,' she told them and she stood up.

'Wait a minute,' Kensi said as the girl wanted to walk away. 'What's your name?' The girl seemed to doubt what to answer. 'You can't go without giving us your name.'

'My name is Narah,' the girl said. 'But look, Matt is dead and no one saw something. So neither did I.'

'You knew Matt?' Deeks asked and Narah nodded.

'Of course, he was at the center every day,' she told him. 'We played some ball every now and then, or he would draw. He was trying to convince me to do some drawing, even though I suck at drawing. He was nice…a little like a big brother…' Suddenly Narah seemed to realize who she was talking to. 'But anyways, he is dead now.' She glanced around before looking at Deeks and Kensi again

'Narah, you did see something, right?' Kensi tried carefully.

'No!' Narah immediately replied and she sounded scared. 'Look, no one will tell you anything. Not if they want to survive another day. Life is already hard enough without some cops asking all kinds of questions. So please, let me go.'

'We just need your details, like where you live,' Deeks said.

'I live all over the place,' Narah answered. 'LA is my home. Are you happy now? I'm already late for school.' Without waiting another minute Narah walked away.

'These kids sure like to go to school,' Deeks sighed.

* * *

'People were too scared to talk,' Deeks told the others when he and Kensi were back in the Ops Center after interviewing everyone. 'They know they will get killed if they talk. Someone is ruling that area. A gang of some kind.'

'True,' Nell answered. 'The Fratres Armis are very active in the area. They deal in drugs and arms and are not scared to kill the ones who are in their way, like Matt Gordons. Or the youth center. The center had some trouble before with the gang. Fratres Armis is losing children against the youth center.'

'Maltino told us that Matt was one of the few the children completely trusted,' Callen said. 'Matt seemed to know where these kids were coming from. What scared them. He found a way to connect with them. Maltino said that he was blessed to have volunteers like Matt.'

'Have we found any family?' Sam asked.

'Family that would care about his death,' Deeks added bitterly. Kensi put her hand on his arm and he smiled weakly and shortly at her.

'Matt did have a brother,' Eric answered. 'Once called Andrew Gordons, but he was adopted by a foster family and there is no trace of him now.'

'A girl said that Matt drew,' Kensi said. 'Have we found his drawings? He drew to escape…maybe he drew something that could locate his brother, or something that would help us with his murder.'

'You sound like Nate,' Callen smiled.

'We can ask LAPD to collect and send the drawings,' Eric said.

* * *

'A kiss for your thoughts,' Deeks whispered into Kensi's ear as they were hanging on her couch, later that evening. Kensi smiled and she leaned into him.

'Just thinking about those kids,' she told him. 'Who have lost so many already and only have to lose even more. All because of some gang that wants to keep power.' Deeks kissed her neck.

'Not everything in live is easy.' Kensi sighed. As if didn't know that. But she never experience that when she was a child. She had had a relative happy childhood. She had her dad who took care of her. Who showed her that she was loved. These children at the youth center didn't seem to have someone like that. As she looked at Deeks she wondered if he ever had someone like that.

'Did you have someone in your life who took care of you?' she asked him and he raised his eyebrows in surprise.

'Yeah I had. I was one of the lucky ones. I had Ray, my mom at some times…and Josephine.' He smiled as he said her name. Kensi stroked his arm.

'Who is Josephine?'

'Josephine is the woman who makes the best apple pie in Los Angeles, if not the entire world. Her pie is to die for. And her hugs are the ones who take all the pain and hurt away.' He looked down at her. 'I'll take you to see her some day. You will love her, just like everyone does. And her apple pie. You will definitely love her pie…so maybe it's better I never take you there as you might never want to leave again.' Kensi laughed and she punched him playfully against his arm. Then she looked him in his blue eyes.

'I'm glad you had someone like Josephine in your life,' she whispered at him and she leaned in to kiss him. He returned the kiss and ran his hand through her hair.

'And now I have you,' he told her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my sister for being my beta for the entire story and all her help with writing and finishing the story.
> 
> The story is already fully written. It will be updated regularly. Set around season 4.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

'Believe it or not but Matt Gordons comes from a very wealthy family,' Nell told the team the next morning in the Ops Center. 'His father had a very successful business. But Matt never got any of the wealth. Matt's uncle inherited the company and all the money.'

'The uncle never wanted to take Matt and his brother in?' Deeks asked surprised.

'The uncle died twelve years ago,' Eric answered. 'And the company and the money was inherited by his daughter, who sold it again. All in all, Matt and his brother were just left out.'

'Left on their own,' Deeks said. There was a silence for a few seconds.

'Edward, Matt's brother, died in a car accident seven years ago,' Eric said, breaking the silence. 'Matt really had no one left.'

'Except for his family at the youth center,' Callen said. 'Maltino said they were all like a family: the kids and the volunteers.'

'Matt was at the youth center almost day and night ,' Sam said. 'He spent all his time over there. Giving art to the kids and helping them get through. Keeping them a little safer.'

'Anything on the shooter?' Kensi asked and Eric nodded, looking at Nell. Nell typed something on the keyboard and a blurry picture of a license plate appeared on the screen.

'This footage was from a security camera on the other side of the youth center,' Eric started to tell. 'The license plate turned up with a fake ID, but it gave us a picture of the man we're looking for. We're trying to get a match.'

'Should we try if any of the people who we interviewed yesterday recognizes the man?' Sam asked Deeks and Kensi.

'No those people won't talk,' Kensi said. One of the computers began to beep and Nell went over to the computer.

'We got a hit on the car,' she told the team. 'Not a very useful hit…the car was found by the LAPD, burned out.'

'So they ditched the car,' Callen said. 'What about a gun? They would ditch the gun as well. It's a hot gun and they know it.' Nell took a deep breath and she pulled up a file.

'A boy was admitted in the hospital because of gunshot,' she told them. 'He died on arrival. His little sister could tell the LAPD that he had found the gun in the bushes and just wanted to play with it. He accidently shot himself.' The entire team sighed. This was not how they wanted to find the murder weapon.

* * *

'I think that was one of the hardest things I ever had to do,' Kensi sighed as they were driving back from the mother of the boy. They had met the devastated woman when they were sent to the hospital to talk with the little sister of the boy. 'Just a little boy playing with the wrong toy.' Deeks glanced at her before focusing on the road.

'Are you okay?' he asked. Kensi shifted uncomfortably.

'I'm fine,' she answered. 'What about you?'

'I'll be glad when we get…'

'Deeks!' Kensi shouted and Deeks hit the brakes as people started to run over the street. He made a sharp left turn to avoid the people. The car stopped at a lawn. Deeks and Kensi got out of the car, looking at the scared people running. Suddenly Kensi hit Deeks' arm.

'Deeks, it's Narah!' Kensi pointed and she ran over to the girl. The closer she got, the harder she started to run. The girl's clothes were covered in blood. Kensi stopped Narah.

'Narah, are you hurt?' she asked worried. Narah looked up with big shocked eyes and tried to speak, but did not find the words. Deeks joined them.

'EMTs are on their way,' he told Kensi, who was trying to get Narah to speak while checking the girl for injuries.

'I'm…not hurt…' Narah managed to say and she tried to shake of Kensi's hands. She straightened her back. 'I'm fine. Now let me go!'

'Narah, what happened?' Deeks asked. 'What happened to you? Why are all these people running?' Narah looked over her shoulder, at a large building. Deeks and Kensi followed her gaze. They both slowly went for their gun and walked towards the building. Kensi glanced behind her to see if Narah was following them. She grabbed her phone and handed it to Narah.

'Call the number that is called Callen,' she instructed the girl, who nodded shakily. 'Get in the car and stay there.' Narah stared at the phone and then ran to the car. Kensi joined Deeks at the entrance of the building, which turned out to be a gym. A basketball lay on the floor, abandoned. At the tribunes were two bodies lying, blood dripping on the floor. Deeks nodded at Kensi and she walked over to the bodies while he checked the locker room. Kensi checked for a pulse but none of the bodies had one. She recognized one of them as Katya Joefkov.

'Are they alive?' Deeks asked and Kensi shook her head.

'One of them is Katya,' she told him. 'Another youth center volunteer shot dead.'

* * *

'The other victim is Thomas Greenwood,' Callen told Deeks and Kensi as they watched the medical examiner carry away the bodies. 'He was a volunteer at the youth center as well. So three volunteers dead in two days. It has to mean something.'

'Fratres Armis want their power back,' Deeks shrugged. 'And the youth center is getting in the way of that.' Kensi glanced at her car.

'Maybe Narah will tell us something,' she said. Callen and Sam raised their eyebrows.

'Narah was close to Thomas and Katya, since she was covered in blood,' Deeks told them. 'She must have seen something. We just need to make her feel safe and maybe she will talk then. We can take her to the boatshed.'

'Get her to the boatshed,' Callen agreed. 'And get her some fresh clothes. She can't stay covered in the blood.' Deeks and Kensi nodded and they walked to the car. As they got inside, Narah sighed.

'Took you long enough,' she told them. 'Am I allowed to go now?'

'Not yet,' Kensi answered the girl, surprised by her cool reaction. 'We still need to talk…and getting you some new clothes.'

'I don't need charity,' Narah replied. 'And like I said before, I'm not telling you anything. I'm not a snitch. Just drop me of somewhere in town and I will be fine.'

'We can't drop you off somewhere in town,' Deeks said. 'Where do you live? We can bring you there.' Narah shook her head with a tiny smile.

'You don't get it,' she said. 'I'm not going to my 'home' as I don't really have one.'

'Then you're going with us,' Kensi said and she started the car. 'We can't let a minor go unless there is a guardian.'

'Well I don't have one,' Narah bit back at them.

'Then I hope you can get comfortable with us,' Deeks replied.

* * *

Deeks and Kensi stared at the big TV screen in the boatshed, watching Narah pacing through the interrogation room. They turned simultaneously when Callen and Sam walked in. At the same time Eric and Nell appeared on the screen.

'Your friend's name is Narah Monero,' Eric started to tell. 'She's fifteen years old. Her father died when she was seven and when she was eight her mother left her. She has been going from foster home to foster home.' They all glanced at Callen for a moment.

'What about her guardian right now?' Kensi asked. 'She told us she has none.'

'Monica Stewart is officially her guardian,' Nell answered. 'Social Services said nothing about changing guardians. Narah is still Monica's foster child.'

'Didn't seem like Monica is taking such good care of Narah,' Kensi said. 'Narah said she had no home to go to. That LA was her home.'

'Go talk to her,' Callen said and Kensi nodded. She walked into the interrogation room and Narah immediately looked up.

'Am I allowed to leave?' she asked hopefully.

'Not yet,' Kensi said and she pointed at the chair. 'Let's take a seat.' Narah rolled with her eyes but she sat down, just like Kensi.

'I'm not telling you anything,' Narah said before Kensi could ask a question. 'First Matt and now Katya and Thomas are dead as well. They are killing of everyone at the youth center. So I'm not telling you anything.'

'You were at the gym, right?' Kensi asked and Narah nodded. 'You like basketball?'

'I do,' Narah said. 'I love it. They guys playing today were amazing. I wish I could play with them. That would be an awesome game.'

'We like basketball as well. We play a friendly game every now and then.'

'You want to play basketball in return of some answers?' Narah raised her eyebrows and Kensi smiled.

'Will it work?'

'Nope, it won't. I like to live another day.'

'Even though the Fratres Armis are killing off volunteers at the youth center?'

'Not much different from every other day. People get killed all the time. Sometimes simply because they walked on the wrong side of the street. It's normal for us. We have to stay low for some time and then we can move on.'

'This isn't the first time something happened to the youth center?' Narah shook her hand and took a deep breath.

'It started off with vandalizing the center…the Fratres Armis wanted to get the street kids back on the street so that they could get the kids for the gang. When it didn't work…they went to the kids going to the youth center. Threatening to hurt or kill them if they kept going to the youth center. That they had to convince the other kids not to come any longer.' Kensi looked at Narah, who was starting at her hands.

'Did they ever threaten you?' Kensi asked. Narah shook her head.

'Not yet,' she answered. 'Never directly but I understood the warning. Also talking to you will only make it a matter of time…'

* * *

'We can't send her back on the street,' Deeks told Callen and Sam. 'Not after she told that her life is threatened for talking to us. We got her in danger so we need to keep her safe. She's only fifteen!'

'Deeks, we're not sending her away,' Callen said. 'She can stay here.'

'Until Social Services can find her a new home, away from Los Angeles,' Sam added.

'Which will only mean another foster home,' Callen said. They all looked up when Kensi walked towards them.

'She's really scared of the Fratres Armis,' she told them. 'She needs to know she's safe before she will talk, about anything. All she could tell was that the gang has been after the youth center for some time now.'

'We got the file on the vandalism of the youth center,' Callen said and he pushed it towards Kensi for her to look into it. 'They reported it the first five times. After that they gave up reporting it…'

'…right about the time kids started to get threatened,' Kensi continued looking in the file. 'This gang isn't the type to back off any time soon…Jeez all the windows thrown in with several brick and paint all over the walls…'

'It was a nice project for the kids and the volunteers to fix the building,' Sam answered. 'Keeps them of the street.'

'That is what the youth center thought every time they had to fix the building,' Deeks said. 'Until the gang started to threaten the children.'

'Maltino even wanted to hire security but he had no money,' Callen said. 'Also he wanted to make the children feel save and he thought that wasn't going to happen if there were security around the building. Children were scared that with security around the building, the gang would only fight back harder.'

'Which they did either way,' Kensi said. 'They started to threaten to kill the kids if they went back to the youth center.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 3_

'Here, some coffee,' Deeks said and he handed Kensi a steaming cup of coffee. She smiled gratefully at him as she took the cup. Deeks sat down next to her. Both glanced up at the screen where they saw Narah sitting in the room. He nodded at the screen while he took a sip of his own coffee. 'Still no one to pick her up?'

Kensi sighed.

'No, still no one,' she said. 'Someone should pick her up at some time, right?' Deeks shrugged.

'Maybe not,' he said. 'You will be surprised how alone some kids are. Even in a country like America with Social Services…Did she tell anything new?'

'Nothing,' Kensi said. 'She's just sitting there. She didn't touch her drink or wanted any food. It's like she's waiting for something.'

'Maybe she's waiting for someone to listen,' Deeks said, glancing at Kensi who was still looking at Narah. The girl had put her head down on the table. They were in the boatshed for almost the entire day and Narah still wasn't telling them anything. Not about the shooting or anything personal beside that one time about basketball. Kensi decided to do what Deeks had suggested and she walked into the room. Narah seemed to look up relieved.

'Aren't you hungry?' Kensi asked, pointing at the untouched pizza. Narah shrugged.

'Even with a pizza, I'm not going to talk,' she said.

'Not everything is bribery,' Kensi smiled. 'We just wanted to give you something to eat. Aren't you hungry?' Narah glanced at the pizza and Kensi pushed it towards her. 'Take a piece.' Narah looked at Kensi, still slightly doubting, but then she took a piece of pizza. She actually stuffed it in her mouth and immediately reached for another piece.

'You want a piece?' Narah asked Kensi after eating three pieces.

'Sure,' Kensi answered and she also took a piece. As she took a bit, she smiled slightly looking at Narah, who really seemed to enjoy the pizza.

Deeks let Kensi and Narah talk for awhile and then he walked into the interrogation room as well. When he walked in, Kensi and Narah stopped talking and looked up at him. He smiled briefly.

'Did I interrupt anything?' he asked.

'No, you did not,' Kensi answered smiling. 'Something wrong?' Deeks sat down next to Kensi, opposite Narah and he looked at her.

'Narah, we really need your help,' he told her. Narah's smile immediately disappeared and an angry look appeared.

'I can't,' she said. 'You know that.' She stood up and turned her back to them. Kensi looked at Deeks, annoyed that he came walking in at that moment. Then she got up and walked over to Narah.

'We are looking for the shooter,' she told the girl. 'We are going to arrest them. But to do that, we need your help. You have to tell us who we are looking for, or describe them to us…let us make a sketch of them.' She watched Narah play nervously with her hands, looking like she was really scared". She placed her hand on Narah's arm. 'You will not only be helping us, but also the youth center. Keeping them safe.' Narah sighed and then she nodded. It was almost unnoticeable but it was a nod. Deeks immediately got up and started to make the call.

'So what is going to happen now?' Narah asked softly.

'There is someone coming in with a sketch book,' Kensi started to explain. 'He or she will ask you questions about the shooter. And all you need to do is to tell what you remember. If you don't remember something, that is okay. Just be honest.' Narah nodded.

'The sketch artist will come in tomorrow morning,' Deeks told them. 'First thing in the morning.'

'Kensi? Deeks?' Narah asked quietly from the couch and both Deeks and Kensi glanced over to her. Narah got off the couch and walked on the bare feet over to the table. She said down and sat nothing for a while.

'What is it, Narah?' Deeks asked.

'Is it really safe to give the description?' she asked.

'Of course,' Kensi said. 'You will have nothing to worry about.'

'You can't send me back onto the street after I give the description,' Narah told them scared. 'They kill snitches on the streets! I will be dead in a few days, if not hours!' Deeks put his hand on her hands, which were shaking.

'Do you have someone you can go to?' Kensi wondered. 'Any family? Friends?' Narah shook her head slowly.

'My father died when I was seven and my mom disappeared when I was eight,' she said. 'I don't even know their family and I guess no one is left…I have been through eleven foster homes…I have no one left.' Narah had tears in her eyes and Kensi put her arm around the girl.

'Narah,' Deeks said softly, trying to make Narah look up at him. 'Narah…you're not alone.' He pointed at Kensi and himself. 'We're here to protect you. They won't kill you. No one is going to harm you, I promise.' Narah looked at him like she didn't believe him. She had never had someone to take care of her.

'Come on,' Kensi told the girl gently. 'Try to get some sleep…tomorrow is an important day.' Narah nodded and Kensi guided her back to the couch.

* * *

Callen and Sam grinned when they walked into the boatshed with coffee and breakfast. Narah was sleeping on the couch and Deeks and Kensi were sleeping in the chairs. Callen put their coffee and breakfast on the table.

'So what should we do now?' Sam whispered at Callen.

'They didn't keep such a good watch,' Callen replied. 'Everyone could have walked in without them noticing it.'

'If you keep talking like that, everyone will notice,' they heard Deeks mumbling from his chair. 'Wait…do I smell coffee?' His sleepy head turned to Callen and Sam and he smiled when he saw the coffee. 'You guys think of everything!'

'How did you manage to change Narah's mind?' Sam asked him. Deeks nodded at Kensi, who was still asleep.

'It was all her,' he said. 'I did almost nothing. I think they bonded over pizza, which I bought. So I might have something to do with changing her mind.'

'Leave it to Deeks to turn the conversation back to him,' Kensi grumbled from her chair and she stretched her arms. 'Ooh, do I smell coffee?' Deeks got up and grabbed the coffee. He handed one cup to Kensi, who accepted it gratefully. Callen and Sam glanced at each other and smiled. They all turned to Narah when she began to stir, not knowing if she would be still willing to describe the gunman.

'Wow,' Narah said slowly as she blinked a few times, staring at Callen, Deeks, Kensi and Sam.

'Good morning,' Kensi smiled at the girl. 'This are Callen and Sam and they just brought us some breakfast.'

'When is the sketch artist coming?' Narah asked, eyes adverted at the floor.

'In about an hour,' Callen answered her.

'You want some breakfast?' Deeks asked. Narah immediately shot up and looked at the table for the breakfast. She looked doubtfully at it and then glanced at Kensi for a short moment. Kensi nodded at her and Narah moved over to the table.

Kensi looked at Narah who was in the interrogation room with the sketch artist. Somehow it felt wrong that the girl was all by herself. Not only now with the sketch artist, but also in life. Narah had no one who was taking care of her. Only fifteen years old…the same age Kensi lost everything she cared about.

'You don't want to go home to shower and get a change of clothes?' Callen asked her, pulling her out her thoughts. Deeks had left with Sam when the sketch artist had arrived. To freshen up and take care of Monty.

'No, I'm fine,' Kensi answered.

'You're always fine,' Callen said. 'Even when you're not…' Kensi looked at him.

'Not now, Callen,' she told him, slightly irritated

'Alright,' Callen said and he nodded at the screen. 'How is she doing?'

'She described the first gunman,' Kensi answered. 'Pretty detailed as well. I guess Eric and Nell can give us an ID. Right now they're working on the second gunman.' The front door opened and Deeks came walking in, in new clothes. He smiled at Callen and Kensi and looked as the screen as well. The sketch artist looked right into the camera and showed the sketch of the second gunman.

* * *

'Our suspects are certainly Fratres Armis,' Callen told Kensi and Deeks as he came back after being at Ops to get an ID on the two sketches. 'Only problem is that they seem to have disappeared. Eric and Nell don't seem able to find them. Their names are Miguel Borges and Yosef Mills. Both in the gang since they were teens. Borges was fifteen and Yosef just twelve. They are suspects in other murders but there was never any prove. They have both been in jail for small things, Anything big could never be proved.'

'So what is going to happen to Narah?' Kensi wanted to know. Callen and Sam smiled. Kensi raised her eyebrows at them. 'What?'

'The girl got to you, didn't she?' Sam asked and Kensi shrugged.

'Maybe,' she answered. 'But that is not important now. Now it's important what is going to happen to Narah now her part is done.' Sam sighed.

'She's probably going to a new foster family…' he answered. 'Somewhere away from Los Angeles, where Fratres Armis can't get to her.' Kensi nodded.

'I'm not going to another foster family!' Narah was suddenly standing with them in the room. They all turned to her.

'It will probably be the safest thing for you,' Callen said. 'I know foster families aren't all fun but there are good ones out there, who are happy to take care of you. We will find such a family for you.

'I'm not staying with some family!' Narah said angrily. 'I'm not a second hand kid!'

'It's okay, Narah,' Deeks told her. 'You can pick the family yourself.'

'Then I pick myself,' Narah said. 'I can take better care of myself than any of those stupid foster families!' She turned around and stamped away from the four adults.

* * *

'What book are you reading?' Callen asked when he found Narah in some corner, reading a slightly worn book, clearly been read many times. Narah looked at him with her eyebrows up over the edge of her book. She didn't answer him and continued reading in her book. Callen sat down next to her.

'Why are you sitting here?' she asked him without looking at him.

'Just sitting here,' Callen answered. 'Something wrong with that?' Narah shook her head and turned her attention back to the book. After some time she put the book next to her and turned to Callen.

'Okay, what do you want to talk about?' she asked him. 'Are you going to convince me to go to some stupid foster family?' Callen kept looking at her and Narah sighed. 'So you are here to convince me.' Callen smiled and then he glanced at her with a serious face.

'I know that going into a new foster family time after time isn't any fun,' he told her. 'I have been in thirty-seven foster homes. The longest I stayed with one family was three months. So I know what it means to change homes all the time. What it means to have a bad foster family...' Narah shrugged.

'Telling me your sad story isn't going to help me convince me,' she told him. 'I have heard many of those stories. I went to the youth center with all those other system kids. We all heard many sad sob stories.'

'Alright…' Callen said slowly. 'Then tell me what book you're reading.' Narah picked the book up again and showed it to him. Callen took the book. 'Nice,  _Lord of the Rings_. Good taste. How many times do you have read it? It seems well-read.'

'I lost count,' she answered him. 'It's the only thing I have left from my father…it was his book originally.' Callen opened the book and saw writing on the first page. A father's writing to his daughter.

* * *

'Narah, Sam brought home made dinner,' Deeks called to the girl, who came walking towards the table and she sat down. Sam handed her a plate with lasagna.

'Made by my wife,' he told her. 'Her own recipe. I hope you…' Narah already dug into her plate, clearly enjoying the food. Sam handed the others a plate as well.

'Ahh, one of Carrie's delicious homemade meals,' Callen smiled. 'Always the best. I should come over more often.' They all sat down and ate in silence. No one knew exactly what to say. Narah decided to break the silence once she had emptied her plate.

'So, are there some families chosen yet?' she asked. 'A few I need to pick from?'

'You will have to wait a little longer,' Callen answered her. 'Our boss needs to come in for that.' Narah chewed on her lip, looking nervous. Then she got up and walked out of the room, probably back to her reading spot.

'She seems really reluctant to get a new foster family,' Kensi noted.

'She did have some troubled foster homes,' Callen replied, understanding exactly why Narah felt so against foster families.

'I'm going to check up on her,' Deeks said. 'To see if she's okay.' He stood up and walked out of the room, into the corridor. Narah was sitting quietly in the corner with the book in her hands. But she wasn't reading the book, she was looking up. Looking at the windows.

'I thought you weren't safe on those streets,' he said to her and Narah looked shocked at him. Almost guilty. 'Is the thought of a foster family worse than the chance of being killed on the streets?'

'You clearly never been with my foster families,' Narah told him.

'No I haven't,' Deeks answered. 'But I also know that we take our suspects here as well, so there is no way of escaping through the windows. Also you're here with four trained agents. We would have heard the glass breaking.'

'I thought you were a detective,' Narah told him and Deeks laughed.

'You're observant,' he replied and that made Narah shrugged.

'Being observant got me here and in danger of going back to the streets,' she told him bluntly. Kensi appeared into the corridor as well, glancing at Deeks.

'Hetty is here,' she announced. Deeks nodded at her and he looked at Narah.

'Going to get my foster family, right?' she asked him.

'It will be okay,' Kensi told her and she let her back into the main room where Hetty was waiting for Narah.

'Good evening,' she greeted Narah. 'My name is Henrietta Lange and their boss.' She glanced at Callen, Deeks, Kensi and Sam. 'I…'

'I don't really care about your life story,' Narah told the tiny lady. 'I just want to know from which foster families I can pick so I can pick the least sucking one.' The others glanced at Hetty, a little fearful of her reaction to what the girl said. Hetty straightened her back and slowly nodded.

'You're right, Miss Monero,' she slowly said. 'My life story has nothing to do with the decision you have to make…Your first choice is back to Monica Stewart, who still is your official foster parent and willing to move for you.' Narah made a sour face hearing her foster mother's name. 'Secondly we have Jon and Gemma Willowerson from New York, who want a child to help for several years now. They had a few other foster children, who were all very glad with them as their foster parents. And the third and last possible foster parents are Mister Deeks and Miss Blye.' Narah turned her head abruptly to the two persons whose names were just called. 'They never had a foster child before, but they would be willing to try it with you.'

'And I get to stay in Los Angeles?' Narah asked. 'No moving?'

'Not if you stay with Mister Deeks and Miss Blye,' Hetty answered. 'They can provide for the protect you need.'

'Are you really willing to do this?' Narah asked Deeks and Kensi.

'Yes we are,' Kensi answered and a tiny smile appeared on Narah's face.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 4_

'So this is it,' Kensi said while opening the door to her house and she, Deeks and Narah stepped inside. Narah dropped the backpack with all her stuff on the floor by the door and she glanced around the room.

'Try to look past the mess,' Deeks whispered at her from behind but loud enough for Kensi to hear it and she shot him a glare. Narah smiled weakly and stepped further into the room. Kensi glanced at Deeks, asking him silently what to do now. Deeks shrugged at her.

'Alright,' Kensi said. 'I need to clean out the guest room, but then it's all yours.' Narah glanced at the closed door but still said nothing.

'Okay, do you want something to eat or drink?' Deeks asked, already walking towards the kitchen. 'There is…' He looked at Kensi. 'Really? An empty fridge?' Kensi looked surprised at him.

'Even no beer?' she asked him and he shook his head. Then Kensi glanced at Narah. 'Not that we would give you any beer…'

'This means we need to do groceries,' Deeks told her. 'Are you up for that Narah?'

'Sure,' Narah answered shrugging.

'You can stay here,' Kensi told her. 'Watch some TV or use the computer…get your stuff into the room.' Narah pointed at her bag and Kensi nodded. 'Right, only the bag. Then we definitely need to get into town. You might need some clothes.'

'We can get some groceries,' Narah said. 'But I'm not charity case. I have some clothes. I will manage with them.'

'Good idea,' Deeks said. 'We really need some food and drinks in this house. Some healthy food and healthy drinks for once.' Kensi shot another glare at him.

* * *

'So what do you like to eat?' Deeks asked when they were walking through the supermarket, grabbing things every now and then and putting in the cart. Narah shrugged.

'I eat what I can eat,' she answered.

'You really don't have a favorite candy?' Deeks asked. 'For example: Kensi can't do without her Twinkies. One box last for about one day…if you're lucky.' Narah smiled a little and Kensi looked surprised when she saw them. She put the bananas in the chart.

'What are you two talking about?' she asked.

'We're talking about what Narah likes to eat,' Deeks answered innocently and he smiled at her. Kensi raised her eyebrows but then turned to Narah.

'So what do you like to get?' she asked the girl, who again shrugged. 'What do you like for breakfast?'

'I like to have breakfast,' Narah said. 'When I get it, I don't really care what it is.' Deeks nodded.

'So we just take the cornflakes, the yogurt, the fruits, the bread and the ingredients for waffles and pancakes,' he summed up, already looking around for the stuff. Kensi and Narah simply followed Deeks.

'Do you think you need a toothbrush?' Kensi asked her when they passed the isle with hygiene products. 'Or a hairbrush?' Narah nodded.

'But I can pay for them myself,' she said. 'I'm not a…'

'A charity case,' Kensi finished. 'I know. I was just asking if you needed anything since we're at the right isle…' Narah shrugged and she grabbed the first tooth- and hairbrush she saw. When they passed some pajamas, she stopped again, looking at the pajamas.

'Do you need pajamas?' Deeks asked her.

'Maybe,' she answered.

'Grab one and drop it in the cart,' Deeks said.

* * *

'I'll make us some dinner,' Deeks announced when he, Kensi and Narah came back at Kensi's place with the groceries. Narah moved into the guest bedroom with the plastic bag with her newly bought stuff. Deeks and Kensi brought the rest of the groceries in the kitchen.

'Why are you making dinner?' Kensi asked him. 'Who says you're staying for dinner?' She put the milk in the fridge.

'Am I not staying for dinner?' Deeks asked and he reached passed Kensi to put the cornflakes in the cabinet behind her. Moving his arm back, he gave her a quick kiss. Kensi laughed and patted his cheek gently.

'Not making me change my mind,' she told him. 'But since you're making dinner, you can stay for dinner. That is the least I can do for all your help today.' Deeks stepped closer to her and gave her another kiss, longer this time. Kensi returned the kiss and then pulled back.

'We need to get the stuff into the fridge,' she told him smiling.

'You know, your fridge never looked this stuffed,' Deeks joked and he wrapped his arm around Kensi's waist. He kissed her in her neck. 'I missed you, you know?' Kensi turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck.

'I guessed something like that,' she answered him. 'But we can't. You need to make us some dinner and I need a beer.' She gave him a kiss and she grabbed a beer before sitting down at the couch.

* * *

Kensi handed Deeks a steaming cup of coffee early the next morning while Deeks filled a bowl with cornflakes and milk and handed it to Narah who was sitting at the table. She slowly took her first hap and decided that she liked it.

'Do you want coffee as well?' Kensi asked and Narah shook her head. 'No, of course not…you're only fifteen!'

'Already fifteen,' Narah corrected her with her mouth full of cornflakes. Kensi smiled at her and walked into the bathroom to get a shower. Deeks sat down with Narah at the table. Narah looked curiously at him as she ate her cornflakes. He smiled at her and then he stood up to grab the newspaper. He read a few pages and then he walked to the bathroom door to knock on it.

'Come on, Kens,' he said. 'You should think of the environment. No more than five minute showers!'

'Well then you take shorter showers!' Kensi shouted back at him.

'If you don't hurry now, I'll turn the hot water off!' Deeks said. When he looked to his side, Narah was leaning against the wall.

'You two do realize I have to go to school, right?' she asked him casually. 'And that it starts at eight thirty?' Deeks took a quick glance at his watch. Only an hour left till eight thirty. He banged on the bathroom door.

'Kens, Narah has to be at school in an hour!' he shouted at her and the door was almost immediately thrown open.

'You got to be kidding me!' Kensi said and she glanced at Narah who was shaking her head. 'I don't even know what school you go to!' Narah shrugged.

'I could stay here,' she said. Kensi immediately shook her head.

'Oh no, you already missed enough school!' she said and she turned to Deeks. 'Get the car running. Pack our stuff! We need to hurry now.' Deeks hurried into the living room and Kensi into the bedroom.

'I do need a note for the two days of school that I missed,' Narah announced. 'Otherwise I won't be allowed. And I need lunch!' Deeks pressed twenty dollars in her hand.

'That should buy you some lunch,' he told her. 'Kens, where do you keep a pen and some paper for the note?' Kensi hurried out of the bedroom and almost ran to her desk, searching through all the stuff lying on it. Narah was just watching them stress.

'Got a pen!' Kensi announced and she held the object up. Deeks held up some crumbled paper.

'And I got paper,' he announced. 'So what should be in the note? "Sorry, Narah wasn't in class last two days but she was a witness of a crime, sincerely her new foster parents?"' Deeks turned to Narah and saw her smile. 'What are you smiling at? Just tell us what to put in the note?'

'Calm down,' she said. 'School isn't that important…but you can say I was changing foster homes and that was why I was absent for those two days. They get those notes all the time and they accept them.'

'Okay, Deeks, you get Narah in the car while I write the note,' Kensi said, already busy writing on the paper.

* * *

'Take a left here,' Narah instructed Deeks as she pointed at the street over her shoulder. 'My school is in that street.' Kensi glanced at her watch.

'Only ten minutes late,' she said. 'I hope they can forgive you for that.' Deeks parked the car in front of the school and the three of them got out. Narah started to walk but at the door she turned around.

'You don't have to come inside,' she told them. 'I'll be fine on my own. I have been here before.' Deeks and Kensi shook their heads.

'We need to make sure you're allowed in the classroom,' Deeks explained. Narah sighed and she opened the door. The school wasn't really colorful. It was somber. One man was walking in the hallways and he stopped Deeks, Kensi and Narah.

'So Miss Monero, decided to come to school today?' he asked her and Narah smiled forced at him. 'And who are they?' The man faced Deeks and Kensi.

'We're Marty Deeks and Kensi Blye,' Deeks introduced them. 'And we're Narah's new foster parents. We're still getting used to the situation, and we apologize that Narah is late for class. It won't happen again.' The man nodded.

'I see,' he said. 'Well my name is Peter Pumford and I'm the principle of the school.' He turned to Narah. 'You can go to class, Miss Monero. I'll have a chat with your new parents.' Narah looked angrily at the man and then walked to her class. Principle Pumford turned back to Deeks and Kensi. 'If you could join me in the office.' Deeks glanced at Kensi and both looked at the big clock at the wall.

'We actually have to go,' Kensi answered the man honestly. 'Is there any way we can reschedule? So that we can arrange it with our work?' Principle Pumford straightened his back and then he nodded.

'Of course,' he said. 'I understand. Just call the school and then we'll make a new appointment.' Deeks and Kensi thanked Principle Pumford quickly before walking back to the car, hoping that they would get in time at Ops.

* * *

'Still getting used to being a parent?' Sam laughed as Deeks and Kensi hurried into the bullpen. They both quickly sat down behind their desk, grabbing the paperwork. Callen glanced up from his paperwork.

'We forgot a slight thing this morning,' Kensi told them. 'Nothing major. We managed just fine.'

'You forgot she had to school, didn't you?' Callen laughed and Kensi glared him. Then she smiled.

'Yes we did,' she said. 'It's not easy. One day you're living alone and the next you're the parent of a fifteen year old who needs to go to school and notes for her absence last two days.'

'And try finding a pen and piece of paper in Kensi's mess,' Deeks added. 'At least we remembered to give her breakfast…though Kensi offered her some coffee.' Callen and Sam laughed.

'You will get the hang of it,' Sam said. 'Not everyone becomes a parent immediately. Especially not with teenagers. Those are the hardest, they say.' Callen put his hand on Sam's shoulder.

'Then you and Carrie better prepare,' he laughed. 'Aimee is almost a real teenager.'

'Don't remind me,' Sam said. 'But getting back to the case…'

'Yeah, did we get anything new?' Deeks asked. 'Did we locate Miguel Borges and Yosef Mills? Or someone who can help us locate them?'

'No nothing yet,' Callen answered. 'LAPD did arrest a few members of the Fratres Armis but they keep their mouth shut. They said they don't snitch on their brothers. No one talks about the crimes of the Fratres Armis.'

'And if they talk they get killed,' Deeks mumbled. 'Or their families get killed.'

* * *

Later that day the team was standing at the park near the youth center. Standing near a teenage boy, who was shot four times. Shot like the three youth center volunteers. There were many bystanders, all hoping for a glance of the dead boy's body.

'Why shoot a boy?' Kensi asked, scanning the area.

'Maybe he said 'no' in the offer to join the gang,' Sam suggested. 'Fratres Armis don't seem to be happy with refusals.'

'Let me through!' Maltino yelled as he tried to move through the bystanders. Deeks and Callen walked towards the man, helping him to get through the crowd.

'You know the boy?' Deeks asked and Maltino took a closer look at the boy. Then he adverted his gaze and took a deep breath. 'Mister Maltino, do you recognize the boy?' The man ran a hand over his face and through his hair.

'It's Dennis Bateson,' Maltino told them. 'In the youth center and the neighborhood better known as Happy Bouncer or Bouncer, because he was always so hyper. Dennis had ADHD. His mother couldn't handle him. That why he came to the youth center. He has been with us for always ten years now.' He glanced in the direction of the boy's body. 'Only sixteen years old…'

'Anyway we can contact his mother?' Kensi asked him and Maltino shook his head.

'Since a few years Dennis lives on the streets,' he answered her. 'His mother died of an overdose. Or that is what Dennis told me – very calmly – one day. It didn't seem to bother him at all…but I guess he has already seen so much violence and drugs abuse at the streets…like most kids.' Maltino took a deep breath. 'The youth center was supposed to be a peaceful place…and look what it turned into: volunteers and children get killed.'

'Mister Maltino, there is nothing you can blame yourself for,' Deeks told him. 'All you did was giving these kids a better place.'

* * *

'This is madness,' Kensi sighed. She and Deeks were back at Ops, sitting behind their desks, while Callen and Sam were on their way back from Dennis' foster home, which had given them nothing new. Deeks glanced at Kensi, whose head was resting in her hands. He got up and stepped behind her, his hands resting on her shoulders.

'Try not to let it get to you,' he told her and he kissed the top of her head. 'No matter how hard it is.' Kensi sighed. That moment Callen and Sam came walking in, both not looking happy.

'Well the foster father didn't even know Dennis' last name,' Callen told them as he sat down. 'But it seems like a good foster parent. He said Dennis just runaway one day. The day his mother died.' Sam glanced at Deeks and Kensi and his watch.

'Hey aren't you a bit late?' he asked them.

'What do you mean?' Deeks asked confused and Kensi glanced at her watch. Then she hit Deeks' chest.

'Shit, Deeks!' she cursed. 'We need to pick up Narah!' Both jumped up in action and ran to the car. Callen and Sam watched them ran off. Kensi chewed on her thumb nail nervously as they drove towards the school.

'We'll get there,' he said. 'Have you tried to call her?' She turned abruptly towards him.

'She doesn't have a phone,' she told him. 'We left her without a phone! What kind of parents are we? No way for her to call her.'

'Then you try the school,' Deeks told her calmly.

'Why are you so damn calm?' Kensi asked him stressed. 'Besides we don't have the number of the school. We didn't even know the school until this morning!'

'Because I need to drive us there,' he said. 'Okay, this left or the next left?' Kensi glanced at the street.

'Left here!' she pointed and Deeks makes the turn.

* * *

Narah was sitting on the stairs in front of the school, watching the streets. Deeks parked the car and both ran towards the girl.

'We're so sorry!' Kensi told her and Narah shrugged before getting up. She walked towards the car and got in. Kensi glanced at Deeks, who shrugged as well and they went over to the car as well. As soon as they were inside they turned to the backseat where Narah was sitting.

'We're really sorry, Narah,' Kensi told her. 'We didn't mean to…we were just working and…forgot about the time…'

'It's okay,' Narah told them. 'At least you came to pick me up…eventually. Can we go home now?' Deeks nodded and started the car. Through the rear view mirror he glanced at Narah, who looked bored out of the window.

'We need to get back at Ops for work,' Deeks said gently and all he got was a shrug and some vague mumbles. 'Do you want to come…or should we drop you off at home?'

'You can drop me off at the youth center,' Narah told her. Kensi sighed and she glanced around.

'The youth center is closed,' she told her. 'Mister Maltino decided to close it because of the recent events. The deaths of Matt, Katya and Thomas and…' Kensi gestured Deeks to stop the car. He searched for a spot to park and brought the car to a stop.

'What is wrong?' Narah asked them worried.

'Did you know Dennis…Bouncer?' Kensi asked her. A tiny smile appeared on Narah's face.

'Of course,' she answered. 'Everyone knows him. He's hard to miss with…what happened to him?' Kensi glanced at Deeks, who nodded at her.

'Narah, Dennis was killed this afternoon,' he told her gently.

'What…?' she stuttered. 'Bouncer is dead? The gang?' When Deeks nodded in conferment Narah took a deep breath and her lip started to tremble. She managed to hold the tears back for a few moments but then they all escaped. Kensi got out of the passenger's seat and got in the backseat, pulling Narah into a hug.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 5_

Narah immediately went into her room once she, Deeks and Kensi had gotten home. Deeks and Kensi glanced at each other, not quite knowing what to do.

'Do you think we should have told her in another way?' Deeks asked Kensi and she shrugged. She didn't know how to tell a child that someone they know had been murdered. It wasn't like the MPs had done that so well.

'You think we should leave her for awhile?' Deeks asked.

'Deeks, I don't know,' she told him bluntly. 'I know as much as you do in this area.' Deeks looked at her and he sighed.

'I'll make us some dinner,' he told her and he walked into the kitchen. Kensi walked towards the spare bedroom and knocked softly on the door. When she heard nothing, she knocked again. Again she heard nothing. She looked a little longer at the door and then she walked into her own bedroom to change in more comfortable clothes. The picture of her father seemed to be staring at her and Kensi took it in her hand. She missed him. She stroked his head with her thumb and then she walked back to the kitchen. Deeks was already moving around with pans and food.

'What are you making?' Kensi asked him.

'Jambalaya,' Deeks answered. 'I hope Narah likes it. We need to talk about maybe getting Narah a phone. In case…'

'In case we forget her again?' Kensi finished irritated. Deeks raised his eyebrows and Kensi. 'Sorry, Deeks, it has just been one of these days…it could have been Narah instead of Dennis. She could be the dead teenager.' Deeks walked over to her and took her in his arm. Kensi sighed against his shoulder. He kissed her on her forehead.

'Well, she isn't the dead teenager,' he told her. 'She is safely in her room.'

'Umm, Deeks?' Kensi said and he looked at her. 'Deeks, your jambalaya!' Deeks quickly let go of her and tried to safe his jambalaya but unfortunately he wasn't able to save it. It was all black and he got it barely out of the pan into the trash.

'I guess that means we're ordering pizza,' he said and he dumped the pan in the sink. Kensi smiled and she grabbed the take out menu.

* * *

'Narah, there is some pizza,' Kensi told the teenage girl through the door but again she got no reply. She knocked again on the door. Then she sighed and gave up, walking back to the living room where Deeks was sitting on the couch. She sat down next to her.

'She won't come out?' Deeks asked her and Kensi shook her head.

'I could have barged in but I think she needs some time on her own,' she added. 'She will come out if she wants to. At one point she will get hungry…'

'Is that what happened with you?' he asked her. 'Staying in your room till you got hungry?' Kensi glanced at him.

'I didn't get exactly hungry,' she told him.

'How many days?' Kensi glared at Deeks. 'Just to see how long Narah might stay in her room.'

'I don't remember,' Kensi answered. 'It were several…Deeks, maybe it's good that you go home tonight. To take care of Monty…Maybe a girl's night will be good for Narah…' Deeks seemed offended by the suggestion but then he nodded in agreement.

'Fine, but I'll be here tomorrow morning to take her to school,' Deeks answered. 'And maybe we can speak with the principle then. Since we still need that talk about Narah.'

'Thank you, Marty,' Kensi said and she kissed him. At that moment Narah came walking into the room and she grabbed a piece of the pizza, not saying a word. Deeks and Kensi watched her eat, not saying a word as well. They all ate their pizza in silence. When Deeks was finished, he turned to Narah.

'I'm leaving for tonight,' he told her. 'I need to feed my dog. Kensi is staying with you, for the night. I'll be here in the morning again.' Narah shrugged and continued eating. Kensi got up to walk him to the door.

'Call me when you need me,' he told her and he gave her a kiss. 'And my bed will try not to miss you too much.' Kensi smiled at him.

'Good night, Deeks,' she told him and she closed the door behind him. When she turned to the table, Narah was no longer sitting there. She grabbed the empty pizza box and threw it in the trash.

* * *

This time Kensi didn't bother to knock and she opened the door slightly, to look into the room. Narah was lying on her bed with the book in her hands. Kensi stepped into the room and Narah turned her head. She put the book away.

'How are you doing?' Kensi asked her and Narah shrugged.

'Kids died before on those streets,' she said. 'Nothing new.'

'But this time you knew all four,' Kensi said. 'And all those four died within days of each other. That can't be easy…'

'It is fine,' Narah told her and Kensi couldn't help to smile.

'Deeks tells me that when I say I'm fine it is because I'm actually not fine,' she told her. 'But if you say it is fine, it will be fine. Maybe I shouldn't get the ice cream…' Narah looked with full attention at Kensi.

'No, ice cream is always good,' she said and she got of the bed. Kensi laughed and together they walked into the kitchen to get the ice cream.

'I got some cookie dough and chocolate ice cream,' Kensi told Narah and she grabbed the containers ice cream. Narah grabbed the spoons. 'Maybe you should pick out a movie that we can watch.' Narah shrugged but Kensi noticed the little smile on the girl's face. Kensi pointed her to the DVDs and Narah took a look.

'Hey, I read about this in class…' she said and she held up  _Titanic_. 'It's that unsinkable ship which sank. Is it a good movie?'

'You never saw  _Titanic_?' Kensi asked surprised and Narah shook her head. 'It's only my favorite movie and you need to see it.'

'Okay,' Narah shrugged. 'At least I get ice cream with it.' Kensi laughed and she put the disc in the DVD player. Then she sat down on the couch and handed Narah a container with ice cream.

* * *

Kensi knocked on Narah's door in the hope to wake her up and then she walked into the kitchen to make breakfast. When she didn't hear any movement, she opened the door and peeked inside. Narah was still asleep, looking almost unconscious. Kensi walked over to the bed and touched the teenager's shoulder. Narah shot up.

'Sorry to wake you up like that,' Kensi said. 'But you need to get up. You have to go to school.' Narah yawned and she stretched.

'I'm up,' she said sleepily.

'Don't fall asleep,' Kensi told her. 'Take a shower and breakfast will be ready soon.' Narah dragged herself out of the bed and Kensi walked back to the kitchen. She heard the bathroom door open and the shower being turned on. Slowly she took a sip of her hot coffee, waiting for Narah to finish her shower. Her phone started to vibrate and at the same time someone knocked on the front door. While reading the text she received, Kensi walked to the door. She opened the door with a smile and Deeks stood in front of her smiling, with coffee in his hands. She stepped closer and kissed him.

'Now I see why I had to go,' Deeks smiled and he stepped in. 'Where is Narah?'

'She's in the shower,' Kensi answered and Deeks smiled, taking a step closer. Kensi laughed as he put his hands on her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Deeks returned the kiss but quickly backed off when they heard the door open.

'She's quick,' Deeks whispered, giving her quickly one last kiss. He pulled back just in time when Narah walked into the room, hair damp and in clothes. A pair of ripped jeans.

'What happened to your jeans?' Kensi asked. Narah shrugged.

'Have been like this for a while now,' she answered. 'It's fine…Is breakfast ready yet?' She walked passed them into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl. Deeks glanced at Kensi, who shrugged.

'Maybe you and Kensi should go shopping for new jeans,' he suggested and both Kensi and Narah turned in shock at him, not believing what he just said. Deeks put his hands up with a smile. 'Alright, it was only a suggestion…Let's eat our breakfast and then we can take you to school.' Narah shrugged again and ate a spoonful cornflakes.

* * *

This time Deeks and Kensi managed to get Narah in time at school. Other teenagers were standing in front of the school and Narah immediately walked over to a group of them. Deeks and Kensi watched her for a moment and then they walked into the school. Principle Pumford nodded at them from where he was standing and he ended his conversation with a student.

'Good morning Mister Deeks and Miss Blye,' he greeted them warmly. 'How can I help you this morning?'

'You said you wanted to talk about Narah if we had some time,' Deeks reminded the man, who immediately nodded.

'If you're able to wait till the classes start,' Principle Pumford said and Deeks and Kensi nodded. He led them to some seats and they both sat down, waiting for the classes to start. Kensi smiled as she saw Narah with some other teenagers walking into the school. She nudged Deeks, who turned to her.

'Look at her,' she told him, nodding towards Narah. 'She seems happy with her friends, don't you think?' Deeks smiled as well and he took her hand.

'She is probably happy,' he said. 'They are her friends. And probably kids who understand what she is going through.' Kensi sighed and nodded. He was right.

'Mister Deeks and Miss Blye?' a woman asked them and they both nodded. 'Principle Pumford is ready to see you now.' Deeks and Kensi got up and followed the woman to an small office where Principle Pumford was sitting behind a desk.

'Ah, Mister Deeks and Miss Blye, thanks for waiting,' the principle said. 'First of all I have some forms you need to fill in.' He handed them several forms. 'It's general information we need as a school, like the emergency contacts.' Kensi split the amount of forms in half and handed Deeks a few of them.

'Narah is very similar to most of the students of this school,' Principle Pumform started to tell Deeks and Kensi once they had filled in the forms. 'Her grades are just average and she misses a lot of class.' He handed Deeks and Kensi a list of Narah's grades. 'As you can see she is failing Math. English is one of her best subjects. Her teacher said that Narah seems to enjoy the class…but her grades still aren't great. She has a B for English, while the teacher said it easily could be an A.' Deeks and Kensi glanced at each other.

'What can we do to improve this?' Kensi asked. 'Because you say she can do better?'

'She certainly can do better,' Principle Pumford assured them. 'She just needs the right stimulation. Narah is a good girl in the wrong situation. She is one of our students that don't need to fail in any of the subjects…as for what you can do: I think you're already doing just that.'

'How do you mean that?' Deeks asked.

'You are the first foster parents I have seen,' Principle Pumford answered. 'None of Narah's other foster parents ever came to see me. None of them showed any interest in her. You were the ones approaching me for a new appointment. You made the time to speak about Narah. So I think she will do much better with you as her foster parents.'

'Are you sure?' Kensi asked worried. 'I mean, we will definitely try but this foster parent thing is a first for the both of us…'

'I'm sure you will do fine,' Principle Pumford. 'And if there is anything you need, I'm happy to help you.'

'It's clear you care for your students,' Deeks smiled at the man. Principle Pumford smiled weakly.

'Am I allowed to ask how the investigation of the youth center murders is going?' Principle Pumford.

'You can ask,' Deeks answered. 'But we're not allowed to answer.' Principle Pumford shook his head sadly.

'Such a shame,' he mumbled. 'A real tragedy. The youth center brought students back to the school. Our student count has increased with fifteen percent since the youth center opened. For most students it was the first time they were stimulated to go to school. I fear we will lose many students again. Many of them are prone to the offers of the gang…'

'We'll make sure Narah is one of the students who stay,' Kensi promised and the principle smiled.

'I'm glad you two offered to take Narah in,' he said. 'I see a brighter future for her.'

'We hope so,' Kensi replied. 'And we will take with her about the school skipping.'

'Very well,' Principle Pumford said and he rose from his chair. 'I think we have discussed everything necessary. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call. I hope to see you at the parent-meetings next month.' Deeks and Kensi nodded and they shook the principle's hand. He let them outside.

'Seems like a nice guy,' Deeks said while they walked to the car. 'He seems really involved with his students. Kensi nodded and she got in the car.

* * *

'Good morning,' Callen greeted when Deeks and Kensi walked to their desks an hour later. They both sat down and glanced at Callen.

'Do we have anything more on those gang members?' Kensi asked while she searched through the files and loose papers on her desk. 'Like a location?'

'Eric and Nell are trying to find Miguel Borges and Yosef Mills,' Sam started to tell them. 'But they seem to have no luck, yet. LAPD interviewed a few gang members but they all claim to know nothing. LAPD is keeping an eye on the known members. Not much luck though.'

'So we're still stuck on this case,' Deeks concluded.

'We might conclude that,' Callen answered.

'How did your meeting with the principle go?' Sam asked, changing the subject.

'How do you keep Aimee in school?' Kensi asked. Sam smiled at them.

'I tell her that if we catch her skipping school I will give her a SEAL training,' he answered. 'That seems to work. We also explained that she needs to go to school if she wants to have the life we live now. Why do you ask?'

'Because we took in a school skipping and failing fifteen-year-old,' Deeks sighted. 'If only she was a simple teen.' The others started to laugh.

'Believe me, Deeks,' Sam told him. 'There is no simple teen in this world. They all have something. Something that makes them special. You will wish your teen had come with instructions.'


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 6_

Deeks saw Narah sitting on the steps when he arrived at the school. Her wavy brown hair was hanging down, almost covering her face. Not as Deeks remembered. This morning she was wearing a ponytail. Not bothering to think about it any longer, Deeks got out of the car and approached her.

'Hey, Narah,' he greeted the teenager. 'Ready to go home?' Without a word Narah got up and walked to the car. He watched her open the door and sit down. He shrugged and he walked towards the car as well. Narah was in the backseat, avoiding his gaze.

'Something wrong?' he asked. Narah shrugged and he sighed, before turning the ignition on. The drive was uncomfortably silent. Deeks tried several times to start a conversion but Narah didn't return a word. It was driving Deeks crazy. Why was she not speaking to him? He had barely parked the car when Narah got out. She waited for him to open the door and almost ran towards her room, throwing the door closed. Deeks stood in the door opening, not really knowing if he should leave her alone or not. He walked over to the room and knocked on the door. As he suspected there was no answer.

'I'm going back to work now, Narah,' he told her through the closed door. 'We will be home around seven. Stay inside…call us if there is something wrong…' He listened for any movement and doubted if he should kick in the door to see if she was okay. But out of fear of a mad Narah, or a mad Kensi, he decided not to do that. Instead he checked if there were food and drinks in the house. Then he headed out, back to work.

* * *

'Mills and Borges seemed to had have only contact with each other for the last couple of weeks,' Kensi filled Deeks in when he got back. 'No contact with friends or family. As if they were preparing to disappear off the grid after the shootings. Callen and Sam went over to their work to see if they can find a lead there. Meanwhile we have all their phone calls and e-mails to go through.' She pointed at the piles at his and her desk. Deeks walked over to his desk and rested his hand on the pile.

'We need to become senior agents,' he sighed. 'Just so we don't get stuck with the paperwork and go out into the field.'

'Well then you would have to become an agent first,' Kensi replied. For a minute Deeks thought about the papers. The papers that were stuffed away in a drawer. The papers that only need his signature to become an agent. He still not had found the strength to sign them.

'Deeks!' Kensi called him from her desk and he looked questioningly at her. She was waving some paper.

'What?' he asked confused.

'Mills and Borges were discussing the weed they needed to remove from their garden.' She showed him the e-mails.

'Okay, based on what Narah told us: they didn't look like the gardening types.' He read through the e-mails. 'So they might have been talking about the victims. But it seems like they planned to kill more…' Kensi jumped up from her seat.

'Deeks, we need to call Narah to see she's okay and we need to go to Maltino. See if he's alright.' Deeks immediately grabbed his phone while they hurried towards the car.

* * *

Mister Maltino seemed to become sad by Deeks and Kensi's presences but he let them into the empty building either way. He offered them something to drink which they both declined.

'Are you going to tell me someone died again?' he asked sadly while he put some drawings away.

'No, we're here to see if you're alright,' Deeks answered.

'I am not,' Mister Maltino answered bitterly. 'I lost three volunteers…three friends and a child. I had to close the youth center because it would be too dangerous for the children to be here…their supposedly safe place. They are all back on the street, where they started. How can I be alright with such lost? I had a duty to protect, and I failed!' Mister Maltino bowed his head in defeat, looking at the many children drawings in his hands.

'We're sorry,' Kensi replied. 'We're doing everything we can to catch them.'

'That would be a first,' Mister Maltino said bitterly. 'Law enforcement usually let the gang do whatever they wanted…no matter what that meant for the neighborhood. Like they had already given up on this neighborhood.'

'Well we are doing our best,' Deeks promised. 'So that you can open the youth center again and give those kids their safe place back. Let LAPD give you protection…' Mister Maltino shook his head immediately.

'I'm not planning on letting that damn gang change my life anymore,' he answered. 'I refuse police protection!' Deeks handed Mister Maltino one of his cards.

'At least call when you feel like you're in danger,' he instructed. 'Or when you see or know anything.' Mister Maltino nodded reluctantly and put the card on the table, continuing with his work. Deeks glanced at Kensi, who shrugged.

'We can't help him if he doesn't want any,' she told him.

* * *

The house was just a quiet as Deeks had left it that afternoon. Everything in the living room and kitchen seemed untouched. Kensi walked over to the guest room and knocked on the door.

'Nara, are you in there?' she asked gently and she opened the door to peek inside. Narah was lying in the bed, with her back to the door. Staring at the white wall opposite of her. She did not acknowledge Kensi's presence. Kensi stepped inside and sat down on the bed, waiting for Narah to face her. Hoping she would. But when she didn't, Kensi decided to speak either way.

'We spoke with principle Pumford this morning…' She glanced at Narah, hoping for any reaction but Narah stayed unresponsive. 'He told us about your grades, and the school skipping.' Narah shrugged and Kensi was glad she got at least some kind of reaction. 'Dinner will be done in fifteen minutes…Deeks is making some couscous. Also we would like to talk about school during dinner.' Kensi got up again, ready to leave when Narah's mumbling stopped her.

'What did you say?' she asked.

'I am not hungry,' Narah repeated.

'At least come sit at the table so we can discuss school,' Kensi offered as an alternative. Narah didn't reply and Kensi took that as an agreement to the offer. She closed the door when she walked out of the room and walked over to Deeks.

'She will join us for dinner,' she told him while she grabbed a bowl to make a salad in. 'Even though she does not want to eat.' Deeks nodded and he smiled a little.

'Who would have thought: Kensi Blye, the teenage whisperer,' he joked. She punched him in his arm and he winced.

'Hey, at least I got a reply,' Kensi told him. Deeks leaned closer to her.

'You are brilliant, Fern,' he smiled and he kissed her.

* * *

It was so quiet at the table that you could hear Deeks and Kensi chew their food. Narah sat silently on her chair, staring at the surface of the table and playing with her hands. Deeks glanced at Kensi, suggesting she should start. Kensi rolled with her eyes and cleared her throat. Again she barely got a reaction from Narah.

'Narah?' Kensi asked, trying to get her attention.

'Narah, please look at us when we're speaking to you,' Deeks told her and Narah lifted her head up, looking from Deeks and Kensi. Eventually she rested her gaze on the wall behind them.

'We need to talk about school,' Kensi started. 'And we don't want to just talk to you…you can talk to us as well.' Narah sighed and she averted her eyes from the wall to Kensi.

'I know I suck at school,' she shrugged.

'You don't suck at school,' Deeks disagreed. 'Principle Pumford said he sees potential in you. We see the potential in you. We just have to find a way you can be true to that potential…'

'Starting with no more skipping classes,' Kensi said.

'But those classes are boring and I don't need them!' Narah reacted frustrated and she crossed her arms.

'Narah, you could be an A-student,' Kensi replied. 'Instead you skip school and become a C-student…'

'I have a B in English,' Narah interrupted.

'And an F in Math,' Deeks replied. Narah shrugged.

'Also your English teacher thinks you can get an A in English,' Kensi added.

'I don't care,' Narah said. 'All I need is that stupid diploma to finish school!'

'What about college?' Deeks asked and Narah started to laugh bitterly.

'Kids like me don't go to college,' she told them. 'Either there is no money or we're too dumb. Why would I go for As if all I need are Cs?'

'What about a compromise,' Kensi suggested and Deeks glanced surprised at her. Narah looked interested. Kensi couldn't help to smile for that attention. 'You get Bs in most subject, a C in Math and an A in English. Then you would proved you can do it and we won't bother you. We won't push you to be the A-student you clearly don't want to be.' Narah had to think about it and then she nodded.

'Fine,' she said. 'I will try the Bs.' Kensi nodded contently.

'And no skipping school,' Deeks added and Narah nodded again.

'Bs and no skipping school: deal,' Narah concluded and she left the table, walking back to the guest room.

'Okay, that was school,' Deeks sighed. 'Up next are manners.' Kensi took a sip of her beer and put her hand on his arm.

'One thing at the time, Deeks,' she said. 'Don't get to ambitious. First we need to see if this holds.'

* * *

Loud buzzing woke Deeks up and he reached for his phone on the nightstand, missing several times. In his search he noticed that it was only three am. Sleepily he answered his phone.

'Deeks?'

'Deeks, Yosef Mills' brother Hamed tried to get out of the county. Hetty demands everyone at the boatshed…including Narah.' Nell sounded too awake and it took Deeks a few minutes to realize what she was saying.

'Yeah...we will come…I will try to hurry but waking Kensi and Narah at seven a.m. is already too hard.' Nell laughed and they exchanged their goodbyes. Deeks leaned over to Kensi and softly kissed her cheek.

'What, Deeks?' was the harsh, drowsy reply he got from her.

'We're needed at the boatshed…all three of us.'

'Can't…Narah has school in a few hours.' Kensi turned away from her, trying to get more sleep. Deeks smiled and he laid his hand on her shoulder, turning her back to him.

'Kens, kids don't go to school on Saturday…' Kensi sighed and finally opened her eyes.

'Fine…but you're waking her,' she told him. 'I'm taking a shower.' Deeks gave her another kiss and then walked toward his hard task to wake a teenager before it was even light.

'Narah?' he whispered as he looked into the room. She was sleeping spread out over the entire bed and Deeks smiled. He wished he could let her sleep. But he stepped closer and repeated her name again.

' I don't have school on Saturday,' she mumbled and she made a weak 'move away'-gesture at Deeks.

'Sorry, Narah,' he said softly. 'But it's for the case. We're all needed at the boatshed.' That seemed to get Narah's attention and with a scared look she stared at Deeks. He felt bad for scaring her.

'Do I need to identify someone?' she whispered. Deeks said down on the bed.

'I think so,' he answered. 'You probably need to tell us if you saw the person before…during the murders or around the youth center. But I promise you he won't be able to see you and we will keep you safe.' The words didn't seem to put Narah at ease but she got out of bed, slowly.

* * *

'I might have seen him,' Narah mumbled at she stared nervously at the TV screen where Hamed was shown in the interrogation room with Callen and Sam. 'I don't know if he was at the gym…there were so many people…but I have seen him at the youth center, talking to some of the kids.' She turned around abruptly. 'Are you sure he can't see or hear me?'

'He really can't see or hear you,' Kensi assured her. 'He doesn't even know you're here.' Narah nodded slowly and turned back to the screen.

'He is a gang member,' she said with a little more confidence. 'He has recruited kids for the gang at the youth center until Paul sent him away…it was actually just before the first vandalism happened…'

'Very good, Narah,' Deeks said. 'That is useful information.'

'But it doesn't get you the shooters,' Narah told him bitterly. 'He is more likely to give you access to his bank account than be snitch. That is how the gang life is…'

'I think Callen and Sam can manage that,' Kensi smiled and she glanced at Deeks. 'Shall we get some early breakfast?' Deeks nodded but Narah shook her head.

'I want to see this,' she said determined. 'Are they going to torture him for the information?' Deeks gently dragged her away from the screen.

'No, Narah, no one is going to torture someone,' he told her. 'But still you can't watch the interrogation. You have done your part…so it's time for breakfast.'

'I am not hungry!' Narah replied stubbornly and she glanced over Deeks' shoulder at the TV screen. Suddenly the screen went black and Narah looked surprised at the blackness.

'Thank you, Eric,' Kensi said over the earpiece, knowing that the teach had been the one to shut the TV off. Narah sighed and followed Deeks and Kensi out of the boatshed.

* * *

'So how long before you stop looking for the shooters?' Narah asked when they were sitting in a small dinner for the early breakfast. The place was deserted. They were there only with the owner and his wife. Deeks and Kensi both had a cup of coffee in their hands.

'Usually until we get a new case,' Deeks answered, deciding to be honest with her. Narah slowly nodded and she glanced at the menu though she clearly told Deeks and Kensi that she didn't want to eat anything.

'So what are the plans for today?' Deeks asked, trying to start a conversation. 'Something you girls want to do?'

'Can I go see my friends?' Narah asked hopefully. 'I will stay inside and keep far away from the gang…I just really want to see them.'

'You saw them yesterday at school,' Kensi replied, not knowing it was wise for Narah to be in that neighborhood.

'Yeah, but not really enough,' Narah contradicted. 'I used to see them all day long…instead I'm sitting at home, alone…doing nothing at all…So I can go and see my friends as well.' Deeks and Kensi glanced at each other, thinking about the answer.

'Okay, you can go,' Deeks eventually decided. 'But first we need to get you a phone so that you can call in case of an emergency.' Narah frowned.

'I don't want your presents,' she told them irritated.

'It's not a present,' Kensi emphasized. 'It's a way for us to know where you are and if you're okay.' Narah shrugged and made a movement to get up.

'Can we get that phone now?' she asked. 'So that I can go to my friends?'

'Easy,' Deeks laughed. 'We need to finish our coffee and pay the bill first. Beside it will take another hour for the shops to open.' Narah sighed and leaned back in her chair, seeming bored.

* * *

'Where did we get ourselves into?' Deeks sighed after they had dropped Narah off at one of her friends' houses. 'What do  _we_ know about raising kids?' He let himself fall on his couch. 'Teenagers are really exhausting!' Kensi laughed and she sat down beside him.

'I think we're doing okay,' she told him. 'For people who never raised a kid before…' Deeks smiled and he put his arms around her waist, pulling her body closer to his.

'I did miss this,' he whispered at her and he kissed her more firmly. His hands disappeared underneath her shirt, moving his hands over her bare back. Only their moment was disturbed by Monty who picked this exact moment to greet his owner.

'Not now,' Dees told the dog while Kensi pulled away from Deeks, laughing. 'Look what you did, Monty. You're supposed to help me get the girl!' Monty began to waggle his tail even more. Deeks smiled and he scratched the dog behind his ear.

'He missed you,' Kensi smiled.

'I missed him too…but I miss you more. We should have gone to your place…'

'Give him some attention and I will be waiting in the bedroom till you're finished.' Kensi gave him a meaningful glance and she walked to his bed room. Deeks stroked Monty one more time.

'Sorry, boy,' he told the dog. 'I have a hot woman in my bedroom and she doesn't like to wait.' He quickly got up from the couch and hurried to the bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 7_

Deeks and Kensi walked tiredly towards their desk, glad they made it into the bullpen. Both ignored the piles of paper on their desks and they put their heads down, both sighing in delight.

'Short night?' Sam wondered as he and Callen watched them.

'Don't even want to discuss it,' Deeks answered and Sam laughed at Callen.

'What happened?' Callen asked Kensi, who glanced annoyed at him for not letting her get some more, well needed sleep.

'We made the wrong decision of giving Narah a phone,' she sighed tiredly. 'She is never going to lose that thing…it's glued into her hand. She is constantly texting…God knows who…and not making her homework…refusing to make her homework. Why can't she live without her phone?'

'Because she has no other way to contact her friends,' Deeks answered. 'At least that is what she said…well yelled at us.' Callen and Sam laughed.

'Two weeks ago you were so sure that a phone was the best thing to give her,' Sam noted. 'A way to track her.' Kensi waved vaguely at him.

'Don't remind me,' she told him. 'Arguing with a teenager is really hard and tiring…and then she had to be extra early at school this morning because she had a big mouth to a teacher…'

'…for which we were punished as well since we had to drive her to school,' Deeks added and Kensi nodded.

'Then why don't you put her in a school closer by?' Sam asked 'There are plenty of good schools in your neighborhood, Kensi.'

'So she sees her friends even less?' she replied. 'No we can't do that…speaking of neighborhoods: did we get anything new on the case?' Callen shook his head.

'Nothing since we found Hamed, who gave us nothing at all,' he told her. 'He did try to call his brother but he didn't answer. Eric and Nell still hadn't any luck with locating Mills of Borges, though they did discover that Fratres Armis has connections over the border in Mexico.' One of Eric's sharp whistles made them all look up in surprise. Eric hadn't used that whistle since they had started the case.

* * *

Eric and Nell were standing in front of the big screen, looking kind of tense.

'Did you find anything?' Deeks asked.

'Not concerning the youth center case, Mister Deeks,' Hetty answered before the techs could. 'You are here because there came an urged case to our attention.'

'So the youth center case turned into a cold one?' Kensi asked indignantly.

'I'm afraid so, Miss Blye,' Hetty answered and she nodded at Eric and Nell to start.

'Over the last six months twenty-seven young women and girls have disappeared,' Nell told them. 'The targeted age group is between fifteen and thirty years. NCIS was offered to participate because of victim twenty-six: Petty Officer Melany Woods, twenty-three years old. The FBI thinks that it's a case of women trafficking…'

'…and is hoping NCIS can assist them in finding the women and girls alive,' Eric added. 'For now they don't have much beside the age profile. The girls and women are all different from each other at many point, since it is such a large age group.'

'Any other Navy involvement?' Sam asked. Eric looked at his pad.

'Umm…victim fourteen Macy Layons, sixteen years old, has a grandfather who used to be in the Navy,' he answered. 'But no other major involvement beside Woods.'

'So we are sure it's a coincidence that she's in the Navy?' Sam concluded and both Eric and Nell nodded.

'Where have the girls and women last been seen?' Callen asked.

'At school, work, home, the mall…There is no link there,' Nell answered. 'But we're still looking for the link, with the FBI's help.'

* * *

'I can't believe this,' Kensi sighed as she and Deeks were waiting for Callen and Sam to come out of the FBI building. 'How can we just let Narah's case turn cold? What are we going to tell her? We said we would catch them…' Deeks pulled Kensi a little closer.

'We knew this was coming,' he said. 'And these girls and women need us as well right now. And when we solve this case, we can get back to Narah's case.' Kensi sighed again and she nodded. Deeks was right. These women and girls needed to be find. But she still felt it was unfair towards Narah. She knew what it felt like to hear your case turned into a cold one. She knew how much it hurt. A tap from Deeks made her look up and she saw Callen and Sam walk out of the building.

'I don't know what it is, but the FBI never seems in a sharing mood,' Callen answered while he handed Deeks and Kensi a piece of paper. 'These are the addresses of all the missing girls and women. Even though the FBI been there, I want to check them out. Maybe we can find something they overlooked.'

'That will make them happy to hear,' Kensi smiled as she studied the paper. Deeks' phone rang and he answered it. Listening to the other side, he glanced worried at Kensi.

'And you are sure?' he asked and he slowly nodded as he listened to the answered. 'Okay, thank you for calling me.' He put his phone back into his pocket.

'What is it?' Kensi asked.

'Narah isn't in class or at the school grounds,' Deeks answered.

'You asked the school to call you when Narah skips school?' Sam asked.

'Yeah, I kind of had to,' Deeks answered slightly irritated.

'Just thinking it's a good idea,' Sam answered. Kensi grabbed her phone.

'I'm calling Eric to see if he can trace her phone,' she said.

'Okay, you two try to locate Narah and we will go to the addresses,' Callen told them and he and Sam got in their car. Deeks waited impatiently for Kensi to get a location.

'She's in a street near her school,' Kensi answered while she gestured Deeks to get in the car. 'Shit, Eric lost her phone…last location is the gym.'

* * *

Deeks glanced at Kensi when they were standing at the entrance of the gym, guns ready – just in case. She slowly nodded and they entered the building. They could hear sounds from the big room where the court was and when they got there, they put their guns away. About ten teenagers were playing basketball at the court. Deeks and Kensi watched Narah. They hadn't seen her like this. So smiling and laughing the entire time. It was clear she was at ease with these teenager: six boys and three other girls, all laughing and playing basketball. It was nice to see them, like they had no care in the world. But that peace was disturbed when one of the boys spotted Deeks and Kensi.

'Oh shit, the cops!' he yelled and the ball was dropped. The teenagers started to run to the exit at the other side. Narah stood frozen on her spot, staring at Deeks and Kensi, not believing that they were there.

'Narah,' Kensi said and she took a step forwards.

'Narah!' one of the boys yelled. Narah turned around and followed her friends. Deeks and Kensi ran after them into the street. But these teenagers knew these streets like no others and soon Deeks and Kensi had lost them. Panting they stopped, glancing around, hoping for a glimpse of Narah.

'She just ran away from us,' Deeks panted.

'Maybe she didn't want her friends to know that her foster parents are cops,' Kensi suggested and she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

* * *

'Did you find her?' Callen asked when Deeks and Kensi arrived back at Ops center. They both nodded.

'We found her,' Deeks answered. 'She was playing basketball with her friends…and she looked really happy…but as soon as they saw us, and made us as cops, they all ran.'

'Including Narah?' Sam asked surprised and Kensi nodded.

'We chased them for awhile but lost them,' she added. 'They just know these streets too well. Worst part is that Narah turned off her phone. We have no way of reaching her!'

'Like you said, she and her friends know that neighborhood,' Callen said. 'And we will get Eric and Nell on the cameras in that neighborhood so that we will find her. Do you think you can focus on our current case?' Kensi doubted for a few seconds and then she nodded. Callen smiled. 'Good because we barely have anything. We been to the houses but nothing in common was there…beside that they were all on Facebook.'

'Everyone is on Facebook these days,' Deeks mumbled.

'We're not on Facebook,' Kensi contradicted.

'Anyway, the FBI reported another missing girl who is linked with the case,' Sam told them. 'Johanna Norton, nineteen years old. She didn't show up at her boyfriend's birthday party. She was reported missing three days ago.' Sam pulled up a picture of the young brunette.

'Brown hair and brown eyes,' Deeks said, looking at the picture. 'Just like Woods and Anouska Jecrof but none of the other girls.'

* * *

'What time is it?' Kensi asked Deeks nervously while she was pacing around in her living room. Deeks glanced at his watch and sighed frustrated.

'Thirteen over eleven,' he told her. 'Come on, Kens, just sit down for a minute.'

'Why isn't she home yet?'

'She will be home soon…maybe she is worried how we will react when she gets home and prolongs it as long as possible. Come and sit.' Kensi gave in and sat down beside Deeks on the couch, her head resting against his shoulder.

'What if the gang caught her? What if she is bleeding in some gutter?' Deeks stroked Kensi's hair and he kissed her gently.

'Stop worrying, Princess,' he whispered at her. They both jumped up when someone knocked at the door. Kensi hurried to the door and saw Narah standing bored in front of the door. She quickly opened the door and Narah walked inside.

'Where have you been?' Kensi asked stressed. 'Why did you run and why didn't you call us to let us know you were okay?'

'I was with my friends,' Narah answered like that explained everything.

'Narah, if we don't know where you are, we worry about you,' Deeks told her. Narah shrugged and Deeks shook his head. 'No, that does matter. We get worried when you don't come home till eleven pm. Especially when we can't reach you…'

'Track me, you mean,' Narah interrupted him.

'Running of like that is foolish!' Kensi told her, a little harshly. 'You do realize there is a gang after you right? One you wanted protection from!'

'Well at some point I will have to do it on my own!' Narah shouted angrily and she ran to the guest room, slamming the door close.

* * *

When Deeks and Kensi arrived at the bullpen the next morning, they were immediately called upstairs where Callen, Eric, Sam and Nell were already waiting for them. On the screen were pictures and a floor plan of several clubs downtown. Curiously Deeks and Kensi looked at it.

'We found a link,' Eric announced, not delaying anything. 'Each girl or woman was out clubbing the night before they disappeared. All went to four dance clubs: Lux, Blue, MockingBird and Club 450. The under aged girls used fake ID's to get inside.'

'All twenty-seven girls and women went to one of these clubs?' Callen asked to be sure and Nell nodded.

'We checked all the security cameras,' she confirmed. 'Our twenty-seven victims have been in either one or more clubs.'

'So what are we going to do?' Kensi asked. 'Go to each club?' Eric shook his head.

'There is schedule,' he answered and he pressed a few keys and numbers appeared on the map of downtown Los Angeles. They start at MockingBird, continue to Club 450, then Lux and end with Blue to start all over again. Each time four or five days in between victims. Last victim has been four days ago…'

'So we're going to a club,' Deeks asked with a smile on his face. 'Which one? Please say MockingBird!'

'It's Lux for tonight and  _we_  are not going,' Nell answered and the smile on Deeks disappeared. Nell turned to Kensi. 'You are going to the club. Hetty expects you at Wardrobe right about now.'

'Okay,' Kensi said and she walked out of the room.

'So where are we positioned?' Deeks asked. 'Inside? At the bar or something as some coworkers who are getting a drink after work?'

'You're going to be standing outside,' Eric said.

'Outside?' Deeks stumbled. 'Why outside?'

'Because it's lady's night,' Nell answered. Deeks sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The clubs don't exist…or maybe they do…but that would be a big coincident because I just came up with the names.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for the kudos. I really appreciate it!
> 
> Sorry in advance for the short chapter!

_Chapter 8_

He pushed her against the wall. It happened sudden and she couldn't brace herself. She felt the pain radiate from her back. She struggled against his hold but he was strong and she wasn't exactly wearing fighting clothes. He stroked her cheek while his eyes wandered up and down her body. Right now she wished she was wearing more clothes.

'You look so beautiful,' he whispered in her ear and he kissed her in her neck. He bound her hands above her, onto a ring that was screwed into the wall. Then he planted his lips roughly on hers. She tried to get away from those hungry and rough lips but his hold onto her face was firm. She saw something flicker in his hand after he had pulled it out of his pocket. When he put the blade of the knife at the crook of her neck, Kensi closed her eyes. She felt her skin break as the blade traveled down. It was a superficial wound but she felt the blood flow. Where are Callen, Deeks and Sam? Why are they not here yet?

'You are such a pretty woman,' he whispered in her ear. 'But I think you're wearing a bit too much clothes.' His one hand grabbed her breast and the other her throat. Kensi felt the tears sting in her eyes but she wasn't going to cry. Not for this man. Just that moment Sam kicked in the door and he, Callen and Deeks charged inside.

'Get the hell away from her!' Deeks shouted furiously. 'Or I will blow your ugly head off!' His eyes wandered to the attacker's hand, still on her breast. 'You son of a …!' He adjusted his aim a little further down south.

'Deeks,' Callen warned him. The attacker grinned.

'You want her as well?' he taunted. 'I can understand that…such a pretty lady.' He put the knife at her throat. 'You can have her when I'm fi…' He screamed as he grabbed his shoulder and dropped to the ground. Shocked they all looked at Sam, whose gun was smoking. Then Deeks hurried to Kensi to cut her loose. He held her tight as she was shaking in his arms.

'Eric, how long till the ambulance gets here?' Callen asked over his earpiece.

'They're two minutes out,' Eric reported. 'Is she okay?'

'She will be.' Deeks put his jacket around Kensi's shoulders and guided her out of the room. Outside Kensi hit him against his chest, hard and several times.

'What took you so long?' she told him angrily and she started to cry. Deeks held her tightly in his arms.

'I'm sorry,' he whispered. 'I'm so sorry…I should have been faster…been there sooner…' Kensi looked up at him and kissed him, something they both needed. To have that kind of contact. Knowing she was okay.

* * *

'Deeks , I am fine,' Kensi told him again as they arrived at her place. 'I just want to get in my bed and sleep. I'm really fine.' Deeks opened the door for her.

'You say you're fine when you're not,' he replied her. Kensi stopped him and put her hand against his cheek.

'And sometimes I say I'm fine because I really am fine,' she said softly and she gave him a kiss.

'That was a long night out…' Narah said sleepily, suddenly standing in the living room as well. Kensi glanced at Deeks before turning around. She saw Narah's immediately go to the bandage at her neck.

'What happened?' the girl stumbled. Kensi stepped closer to her.

'Nothing serious,' she told her. 'I'm really fine.' The last comment was more directed at Deeks than Narah. 'Now tell me what you're doing up so late?'

'I heard the car coming,' Narah explained. 'It woke me up…'

'Okay,' Kensi said and she stroked Narah's arm. 'Then go back to bed.' Narah nodded and walked to her room. Kensi turned to Deeks. 'Go home, Deeks…' Deeks looked shocked at her, not believing what she just said. Kensi took his jacket of and handed it back.

'You really want me to go?' he asked and Kensi slowly nodded. 'After all that happened last night?'

'Yes, I want you to go,' Kensi told him and she looked away from him. She took a step backwards as he took one forward.

'Come on, Kens, don't push me away,' he said. 'Not after tonight…'

'Marty…please go…' she said and her voice was slightly trembling. Deeks sighed and nodded. She gave him a kiss on his cheek before he left. When the door slammed closed, Kensi walked to her bedroom, tears flowing freely.

* * *

Kensi had changed quickly into her pajamas, no longer wanting to wear the dress. After that she lay down in her bed but the sleep wasn't coming. She cried softly. Her bed felt so empty. Why did she tell him to go? Push him away?

When she heard her door crack, she quickly wiped away her tears and turned the light on. Narah was standing in the door opening. Kensi's hand slowly went to her gun.

'Everything okay?' she asked the girl, her hand so close to her gun that she could jump into action and protect Narah within seconds. She saw Narah search for words and then the girl shook her head, her lip trembling. Kensi took a deep breath and gestured to come closer. Narah closed the door behind her and almost ran to the bed.

'What is it?' Kensi asked her. For awhile Narah stared at her, tears rolling over her cheeks.

'What happened tonight?' she eventually asked. 'And why isn't Marty here?' Kensi wondered how she would explain the night to Narah. She decided to keep it simple.

'An operation went wrong.' Narah glanced at the bandage and Kensi nodded. 'Callen, Deeks and Sam came just in time…but I am okay.'

'Are you really?' Narah asked and Kensi didn't know what to answer to that.

'I will be,' she decided and she looked Narah in the eyes. 'I promise, okay?' Narah nodded.

'Are you mad at Marty for arriving almost too late? Is that why you kicked him out of the house?'

'No that has another reason…it all has to do with me. It's something that happens most of the times…but now tell me what's going on in your head.' Narah's lip began to tremble again and she started to cry. Kensi pulled the crying girl into a hug, as it seemed the right thing to do. She held Narah while gently stroking her hair.

'Hey, what is going on?' Kensi asked whispering.

'No one ever wanted to know…' Narah sobbed. 'To know what…what was going on in my mind…' Kensi rubbed Narah's arm.

'Get used to it, Narah,' she told her. 'But that can't be the reason for all these tears…are it your friends?' Narah first shook her head and then nodded.

'They are all dead,' she sobbed. 'They won't be at the youth center anymore…there is no more youth center…' Kensi held Narah as the girl cried for all she had lost. 'And…and soon…'

'What is going to happen soon?' Kensi asked, encouraging to continue, but Narah shook her head and just cried.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 9_

The first thing Kensi felt when she woke up was her back. The half lying, half sitting position in combination with being thrown against a wall was really hurting her back. But the pain seemed to lessen when she looked down, seeing Narah asleep, her head resting against Kensi's side. Carefully Kensi moved her head onto a pillow and she slipped out of the bed, trying to reach the living room without a sound. When she reached the living room she grabbed her phone to call Deeks. She wanted to hear him. Apologizing for pushing him away. Maybe invite him for breakfast or for lunch. But his voicemail went to voicemail. When Kensi glanced out of the window she knew Deeks had gone to the beach, to catch some waves. With the phone in her hands, Kensi looked out of the window for awhile. Then she decided to make some pancakes for breakfast. While Kensi was preparing, a sleepy Narah walked into the living room with a hand at the back of her neck.

'Good morning,' Kensi smiled. 'Did you sleep well?' Narah shrugged.

'Does your neck hurt as well?' she asked and Kensi smiled.

'No but I know how that happened,' she answered. 'Would pancakes for breakfast make it better?' Narah nodded with a huge smile on her face, seemingly more awake.

'What are we going to do today?' she asked while Kensi put the first pancake on her plate. 'Do you and Marty have to work? Or are you free like normal people?'

'We are very normal people,' Kensi laughed. 'And actually we have the day off without any plans yet. Is there anything you want to do?' Narah shook her head as she stuffed a big part of the pancake in her mouth. Kensi laughed at the sight of her stuffed cheeks and Narah had to laugh as well, almost spitting out her pancake.

'I come in peace with doughnuts,' Deeks' voice sounded and Kensi glanced at Narah, who smiled. Deeks walked into the living room and handed Kensi the box with doughnuts. Kensi pulled his head closer and kissed him.

'I'm sorry about last night,' she whispered. Deeks sat down on the couch, smiling.

'All forgiven,' he said with a grin on his face and Narah started to laugh as well. 'So what are we watching?'

' _Top Model_ ,' Narah answered. 'Did you know those shows are fun to watch?' Deeks glanced at Kensi, who smiled at him.

'No I did not know,' he said as he stroked Kensi's hair. 'So how did you girls sleep?'

'Horribly,' Narah answered, not understanding that the question was mainly meant for Kensi. 'My neck hurts like hell! But Kensi made delicious pancakes.'

'Since when can you cook?' Deeks joked.

'You won't let me cook,' Kensi answered him. 'So that is why you never knew.'

'Do you have plans for today?' Narah asked. 'Or are you staying with us?'

'What are your plans?' Deeks asked curiously.

'No plans yet,' Kensi told him, patting his leg.

'What about going to the mall?' Deeks asked and Kensi and Narah looked weirdly at him, like he was joking. Deeks shrugged. 'Hey, I happened to know that both of you need new clothes. So why not go to the mall to get them? A nice day out…and I can have a men's day.'

'With whom?' Kensi asked him. 'Monty?'

'You have to know he is awesome company to have,' Deeks answered, 'And I think a girls' day will be good for you…so a day at the mall it is!'

* * *

'I will be back in two hours,' Deeks told Kensi and Narah as they were standing in the middle of a big shopping mall. 'You can only call me if you're going to need longer to finish. Kensi; try to enjoy this and Narah; this is no charity. You will be working to pay us back.' Kensi and Narah glanced at each other, not quite knowing how to react to Deeks.

'You're so dead if you leave us here,' Kensi told him. Deeks grinned as he stepped backwards.

'This is all out of love,' he smiled and he turned around. He walked away laughing. Narah glanced around and then she looked at Kensi.

'So…where do we start?' Narah asked. Kensi looked at the people who were walking around, carrying all kind of bags and she sighed. She so did not like shopping.

'Let's go to a big clothes shop and just get over with it,' she told Narah. Narah pointed at a sign near the stairs which told them that the clothes stores were at the second and third floor. Reluctantly they started their journey upstairs. They walked past the stores, looking into the windows for something they liked.

'What about a hair dresser?' Kensi said to the teenager. 'Do you need a hair cut?' Narah glanced at the hair and then shrugged.

'Maybe…' she said. 'Maybe we should get clothes first.'

'Maybe that is a good plan,' Kensi said and they continued.

'So what are you going to do with Marty for dropping us here?' Narah asked smiling and Kensi started to smile as well.

'Well…I don't know yet,' she answered. 'But we are stuck here for two hours…so I think we can come up with something…' Narah stopped at one window and pointed at a T-shirt.

'What about that one?' she asked. Kensi also took a look.

'Shall we see inside?' she asked and Narah nodded.

* * *

Deeks looked around to see if he could find Kensi and Narah. About two hours ago they had called him that he could come later. Now, four hours later since he dropped them off, it was time for him to pick them up. When he saw them, his mouth fell open. Kensi and Narah were sitting on a bench with a drink in their hands, surrounded by so many bags. And Narah's hair was shorter. Now it just reached her shoulders.

'Hey,' Kensi greeted him and she kissed him. 'We're done with shopping.'

'Well I think we ran out of money,' Deeks told her shocked.

'What?' Narah asked and she glanced at the bags. 'This is not that many. We saw that one woman…' Kensi and Narah started to laugh and Deeks looked confused.

'What happened with Kensi and Narah?' he asked them. 'What did you do with them?'

'You wanted us to go to the mall,' Narah laughed and Deeks nodded.

'Yes, I think I created two monsters,' he said. 'Okay, grab those bags and let's get to the car. See if it all fits inside.'

'That woman will have more trouble,' Kensi said. 'She had like twenty bags. Her husband was following her with more bags in his hands…next time you should come along to carry the bags…but I think Narah has everything she needs right now.'

'I am really never letting you go to the mall ever again,' Deeks said as he hauled several bags to the car. 'There are four pairs of shoes in these bags!'

'And there should be more,' Narah said. 'That's what you get when you buy clothes for a second hand child.' Kensi put her arm around Narah's shoulder.

'Well, you are no longer a second hand child,' she replied. 'You're completely new now.' Deeks smiled as he watched them. It had been a good idea to give them a girls' day, no matter how much money it had cost him. It was all worth it to see two big smiles on their faces.

* * *

'How is everything going with your homework?' Kensi asked when they were at home again. Narah was sitting on the couch with her phone once again in her hands. She barely acknowledged Kensi's question. She simply mumbled a bit.

'We did not hear that,' Deeks told her and Narah sighed annoyed.

'I don't have homework,' she told them and she stood up, looking at Deeks and Kensi. 'Can I please go to my friends? They asked me to come.'

'No,' Deeks answered firmly and Narah's face turned angry. 'Sorry Narah, it's late and I'm not feeling up to driving you right now. And we still need to speak about two days ago when you decided to skip school and didn't come home till eleven pm, without saying a word about your whereabouts.'

'Jeez, it was one day,' Narah answered annoyed. 'I came home safely in the end! Why do you care so much?!'

'We're your foster parents,' Kensi said. 'We're supposed to care.'

'No, you're supposed to collect my money and leave me to do whatever I want to do,' Narah shouted. 'That is what foster parents do! They don't care about stupid homework! Not about skipping school! Nor the time I get home! They don't care at all!' Tears were streaming down Narah's face. 'And they always leave! Always…' With those words she ran to the spare bedroom, slamming the door closed, leaving both Deeks and Kensi both speechless.

'We need to learn to handle this better,' he stumbled and he sighed.

'Well, this is a confusing time for her,' Kensi said. 'Everything is changing for her…maybe we need to bring structure back…with rules. Every functioning family has rules right. So we need to get rules.'

'And punishments,' Deeks added. 'She came home way too late and we did nothing about it. No punishment…We need to improve as parents. We should ask Sam advice.' Kensi shook her head.

'No, we're her foster parents,' she said. 'We should be able to handle this on our own. So what kind of rules did you have growing up?'

'Don't make daddy angry,' Deeks answered bitterly and he sighed. 'We better use your rules. Your dad seemed like an amazing one so I bet he had good rules.' Kensi smiled and she nodded.

'He did have some good rules,' she said. 'Though at that time I did not agree of course.'

* * *

'We located four of the girls and women,' Callen told Deeks and Kensi when they arrived at the Ops center for work. 'They were not yet out of the country. The FBI and Eric and Nell are still looking. The FBI decided to speak with Aaron McKinney, who attacked you.' Deeks noticed a stiffening in Kensi's movement and he placed his hand on her back. But he did not get a grateful look from Kensi so he removed his hand again.

'Can't we speak to him?' Kensi wondered and Callen shook his head.

'The FBI isn't releasing McKinney to us,' he answered.

'All we're allowed to do is hope for Eric and Nell to locate the other twenty-three girls and women,' Sam answered. 'We have found evidence of the traffickers leaving to Mexico and Russia with the girls and women. Interpol has been put on alert as well.'

'So again we can do nothing?' Kensi asked, now getting annoyed. 'First the youth center case and now this case? Is this going to happen from now on?'

'Kens, calm down,' Callen told her gently. 'Being forced off this case by the FBI and Interpol means we can look into the youth center case.'

'Not before all the paperwork is finished, Mister Callen,' Hetty announced. 'I still need a statement of Miss Blye about what happened and the paperwork of this case. There have been made quite some expenses on this case.' The small woman turned to Kensi. 'And you need to speak to a psychologist.' Kensi sighed.

'I don't need that,' she said. 'I am fine. I spoke with Deeks!' Deeks lifted his head up when he heard his name. He was scanning through his paperwork. Kensi gave him a meaningful look and he just nodded.

'I still want you to talk to a professional, Miss Blye,' Hetty told her. 'Before the end of this week.' She turned around and left the team to their selves again. To their paperwork.

* * *

'Two weeks and we have been called by the school twice now in regard to Narah,' Deeks sighed as he and Kensi drove once again to Narah's school. 'And again because she did not behave!' Kensi smiled reassuring at him.

'It will be something small,' she assured him. 'Narah is a good girl…just a bit conflicted at the moment.' Deeks raised his eyebrows at her.

'Why are you so calm?' he asked her.

'Because I have misbehaved in High School as well,' she answered. 'Never something really bad – turn right – nothing that got me expelled. And school doesn't call when it's bad. The principle would call. This was just a teacher.' Deeks took a deep breath and soon he parked the car near the school. Together they walked inside where they saw Narah sitting on a bench next to an office door. Both hurried over to here.

'What the hell happened!' Kensi asked, slightly freaked out when she saw Narah's black eye. Narah shrugged and crossed her arms. Kensi crouched down in front of her. 'Did someone punch you?'

'Miss Monero decided it was a good idea to hit one of the students,' an older male told them, as he appeared out of the office. He extended his hand. 'Mister Stratosky, Narah's math teacher.'

'What happened?' Deeks asked.

'First of all, who are you?' Mister Stratosky asked. 'I'm only authorized to answer such question to the parents or the guardians of the student.' Deeks and Kensi both showed their badge and Mister Stratosky seemed to straighten up, making Narah smile.

'NCIS agent Kensi Blye en LAPD detective Marty Deeks,' Kensi introducing themselves. 'We're Narah's foster parents. So you can tell us and we would like to know it now.' Mister Stratosky nodded nervously.

'Of course…' he stumbled. 'Miss Monero started to get violent out of nowhere and attacked another student. Without any warning. I barely managed to pull them apart, explaining Miss Monero's eye injury…' Deeks and Kensi glanced at Narah. 'The other student was less lucky with a broken nose. Miss Monero refuses to speak about her motives for the attack.'

'We will deal with it,' Deeks told the man. 'We're very sorry for what has happened.'

'But that is not the policy of our…' Mister Stratosky started to agrue but Kensi interrupted him.

'We will deal with it!'

* * *

'Narah, we have decided there are going to be some rules,' Deeks told the teenager when they were sitting at the table at Kensi's place, Narah holding an icepack against her eye. 'Because we will no longer tolerate this behavior of you…for which there is some blame with us as well for never setting any rules.' Narah shrugged as she has done so many times before but Deeks and Kensi noticed something new. Some sadness in Narah's posture.

'But we also know that we can't just give you rules,' Kensi continued. 'We need rules as well, since we are new to raising a child. So we're going to set up some rules everyone can agree to.' Again they got a shrug as reaction. Kensi pushed a piece of paper towards Narah. 'We want you to give us the first rule and write it down on the paper.' Narah raised her eyebrows but grabbed the pen Deeks offered her.

'Okay,' she said and she thought. 'Rule number one: no controlling or tracking.' Deeks and Kensi nodded. That one they could understand.

'Rule number one for you: no skipping school,' Deeks said. 'And homework before anything else, including using your phone.'

'Come on!' Narah protested. 'I might need the phone to ask my friends for help!'

'You can ask one of us,' Deeks replied.

'Like you are ever here,' Narah mumbled and she threw the pen down.

'One of the rules we also had was no big mouth,' Kensi answered and Narah rolled with her eyes. But as they progressed, Narah became more willing to add rules. Not only for Deeks and Kensi, but for herself as well. And in half an hour they finished their rules.

'Which one is going to be the hardest to follow?' Kensi asked Narah as the teenager read them over.

'Homework first without any contact with the rest of the world,' she answered. 'Without a doubt! But I am going to try it.' Deeks and Kensi smiled, more hopeful of success this time.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 10_

The next afternoon, after work, Deeks and Kensi were surprised to actually see Narah do some homework at the table. Head bowed over the paper, resting on her hand. Every now and then they heard a sighed and saw furious erasing of what she had written down. She didn't even seem to notice the presence of Deeks and Kensi.

'Where is our foster daughter?' Deeks joked whispering at Kensi, who smiled.

'She is ready to kill her teacher for her stupid homework,' Narah mumbled angrily and she pushed her paper away. 'This is not fair to us students.' Deeks laughed and he sat down, taking the papers.

'That is what I thought as well when I started it,' he told her. 'But I got it in the end…let me see…' He took a glance at the papers and his smile was replaced with a deep frown. 'What is this?'

'Math,' Narah told him with a smirk.

'This is no math,' Deeks answered and he put the papers away as well. 'You need to be a magician to be able to make this.' Kensi smiled and she rested her hands on Deeks' shoulders.

'Not so easy as it seems, does it, Deeks?' she smiled and she kissed him on the cheek. Then she looked at Narah. 'You should ask your teacher for some extra instruction.' Narah shrugged.

'Can I go see my friends?' she asked.

'Did you finish your homework?' Kensi asked.

'Beside math, yes,' she answered and she smiled. 'So can I go please? I could ask Ivan to help me with math.' Deeks was immediately on high alert.

'Who is Ivan?' he asked curiously and slightly worried. Even a bit parent-like.

'Ivan is my friend,' Narah answered and she laughed. 'Don't worry. He is like my brother.' Deeks slowly nodded.

'It starts with being friends,' he replied and he glanced at Kensi.

* * *

'It seems to go okay,' Deeks concluded at the end of the day when he sat on the couch with Kensi, drinking one beer before they would go to sleep. Narah had to be reminded of some rules like bedtime at half past ten, but in the end she followed them all without too much complaining.

'This was just day one,' Kensi said, trying to be realistic. But the smile on Deeks' face made her smile as well. 'But it was a good first day.' Deeks wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she rested her head against his chest. He gently placed a kiss on her lips and felt her smile against his lips.

'Don't mind me,' Narah announced when she walked passed them towards the kitchen. 'I'm just getting some milk. I'll be out of here in no time.' Deeks and Kensi pulled away embarrassed. Both a blush on their face and Narah smiled while she filled her glass.

'I am allowed to take it to my room, right?' she asked. Deeks and Kensi nodded numbly. 'Oh and go on, I'm used to it. One of my foster moms was an at-home-prostitute to earn some extra money. I will just listen to some music.' Deeks and Kensi watched Narah walk back to her room. Both speechless.

'What just…what…' Deeks stumbled and he glanced at Kensi, who stared blankly at him.

'That was awkward,' she told him.

'Too awkward,' Deeks agreed. Even though he felt like that, he moved in closer and captured her lips again. Kensi pushed him away this time.

'Only kissing,' she told him strictly and Deeks nodded obediently.

* * *

Kensi ate another Twinkie and she sighed. Next to her Deeks was toying with the wrapping paper of one of the many Twinkies she had eaten. Stake outs never were much special. Simply waiting for the time to pass. For the action to begin. And on this stake out the action was nowhere to see. They and Callen and Sam, on the other side of the building, were waiting for the drugs dealing Petty Officer Roofert to arrive. He had killed the wife and daughter of another Petty Officer when he could not get the money for more drugs. The quietness in the car was disturbed with the ringing of Kensi's phone, which she quickly answered.

'There is a man standing outside of the house!' Narah sounded scared and hurried. Kensi immediately put the phone on speaker.

'Where are you now, Narah? And where is the man?

'I'm in my room and I don't know where the man is...but he was looking inside! No way that guy was just passing by! Pl...please...please come home...' Kensi knew it was really wrong. Narah had never sounded as she did in that moment. Never so scared and vulnerable.

'Callen, Sam, we have trouble at Kensi's house,' Deeks told them over his earpiece. 'Are you okay with us leaving?'

'Of course. We will be fine,' Callen answered.

'Okay, Narah we are on our way. Stay in your room. Don't go out to see if the man is still there. We will be there in ten? Probably less. Stay on the phone, okay. Just talk to us.'

'I'm...I'm scared.' Kensi's heart broke in that exact moment. She never had heard Narah speak of fear like this. Deeks seemed to have the same reaction as he floored the gas panel.

'We are there in no time, Narah. He is not getting in...' Kensi glanced on Deeks who was focused on the road and she took a deep breath. 'Narah, we're almost there.'

'Please hurry!' Narah whispered with a trembling voice.

* * *

The car was barely parked when Deeks and Kensi jumped out of it, their guns firmly in their hands. Quickly and on high alert they moved to Kensi's house. On the outside was no one and when they enter the house they also found no one there. The man had already fled. Kensi walked to Narah's room and opened the door. She spotted Narah behind her bed, holding the phone tightly and with tears on her face.

'Are you okay?' Kensi asked worried as she pulled the girl in a hug. Narah couldn't find the words and cried in Kensi's arms. Kensi stroked her hair gently, giving her the time she needed to gather herself. Deeks appeared in the door opening.

'I called the CSU,' he told them. 'They are going to check the door and window for traces.' He walked towards them. 'Are you okay, Narah?' He sat down beside them. He noticed Narah shaking her head against Kensi's shoulder and he stroked the girl's back. Soon Deeks' and Kensi's phones started to ring.

'It's Callen,' Deeks told Kensi, looking at the caller-ID and he answered the call. 'She is fine...pretty shaken up but the man didn't get inside. He appeared to have left.' He listened to Callen on the other side and nodded every now and then. 'Yes, already called the CSU. They should get here soon. How is it going with Roofert?' Narah backed her head up out of Kensi's shoulder and both Deeks and Kensi saw the fear in her eyes. Deeks ended the call with Callen after getting an update on the case and he glanced at Kensi.

'Roofert still hasn't shown up,' he told her. Narah looked up scared. 'But that doesn't matter because we're staying with you.' He looked at Narah, who silently leaned against Kensi.

'Can we go...go to your place?' she asked him mumbling.

'Of course,' he told her and he and Kensi helped Narah who was trembling pretty badly. 'I will grab you two some stuff and then we can go. You walk over to the car.' Kensi let Narah out of the room and Deeks grabbed a bag and the first clothes he saw.

* * *

Deeks and Kensi sat on the couch in his apartment. Narah was lying in the bedroom, with Monty at her side. It was the only way she felt safe enough to fall asleep. And they did not know how long it would take for nightmares to come. All they could think of was how wrong this could have gone.

'We need to find a safer place for her to stay at after school till we get home,' Kensi said. 'This can never happen again.' Deeks nodded in agreement.

'We could bring her to the boatshed after school,' Deeks suggested. 'She will be safe there.' But Kensi shook her head.

'No, at the boatshed she would still be alone,' she answered. 'She needs to be with someone.' Deeks thought for a moment and then he stared at Kensi. She looked surprised at him. 'You have someone in mind?'

'Well...we could ask...your mother,' he answered and Kensi stiffened. Asking her mother? With whom she was still working to repair their relationship? Whom she hadn't told about Narah yet?

'I don't know...' Kensi said unsure. 'I don't know if she's willing to take a girl in who she has never met and doesn't know...I don't know if she would like a teenager in the house. A stubborn one.' Deeks shrugged.

'We can always try,' he said. 'Your mother lives far away from Fratris Armis territory and no one really knows about the connection between her and you...'

'Maybe,' Kensi replied, still not convinced. 'It's just...I don't want to ruin our building relationship by asking such a big thing of her...'

'Why don't we start with introducing them to each other,' Deeks suggested. 'Asking your mother to come for dinner. If she has an impression of Narah, we can ask her if she would mind to take her in after school till we come to get her.'

'We do need to introduce them to each other,' Kensi agreed. 'I will ask her to come over for dinner anytime soon.' Deeks smiled.

'Good,' he said. 'I liked your mother the last time I saw her.' Kensi smiled as well and she kissed Deeks.

* * *

Deeks had made pancakes for Narah and Kensi had let her sleep as long as she could. But the teenage girl looked like she had had no sleep at all. She had barely brushed her hair and had dark bags under her eyes. Kensi glanced worriedly at Deeks. He placed the plate with pancakes in front of her.

'Here you go, Narah,' he told her softly but she did not even look at the food. When Kensi touched Narah's shoulder, the girl jumped and Kensi pulled away her hand.

'Maybe we should let you stay at home,' she mumbled but Narah shook her head.

'I want to see my friends,' she whispered softly and Kensi nodded, still worried about how she would do at school after what happened yesterday.

'We'll try to get home early,' Deeks said to Narah, who shook her head.

'I'll be staying with Emily after school,' she replied and Deeks nodded. Maybe that was for the best. Being with a friend might be the thing Narah needed at this moment. 'She told me that her father agreed with me staying for dinner…'

'Okay,' Kensi replied. 'Then we will pick you up after dinner at Emily's place.' Narah did not say anything and looked at her pancakes before shoving the plate away. Deeks grabbed the plate and put some extra bread in Narah's schoolbag.

'Can we go?' Narah asked softly and before she got an answer she walked towards the door, clearly ready to go to school. Deeks glanced at Kensi, who shrugged. Neither of them knew how to deal with a girl who been through something like yesterday. All they knew was that they wanted to help Narah, if Narah wanted their help.

'Let's go, Deeks,' Kensi told him and they grabbed their stuff and Narah's schoolbag, which she had forgotten.

* * *

'Did Roofert show up?' Kensi asked Callen and Sam when the men arrived at work, both surprised to see Deeks and Kensi behind their desks already.

'Yes, he did,' Callen answered. 'We had to chase him and Sam got to do a nice tackle, but we caught him in the end. He's already at LAPD. We already interrogated him last night.' Kensi nodded and she turned back to the papers on her desk.

'How is Narah doing?' Sam asked curiously and a hint of worry was present in his voice. 'Did she recognize him?' Deeks shook his head.

'She barely spoke a word about it,' he answered. 'And she is dealing with it. Slowly, and without us. I hope she will be okay. She wanted to go to school and didn't eat her pancakes, which is her favorite breakfast.'

'So what are you going to do now?' Callen asked and Deeks and Kensi shrugged at the same time. 'Did CSU find anything?'

'They found several prints on the door handle,' Deeks answered. 'But none were useable since they could not separate any individual prints. Nothing useful showed up at the security cameras. So we don't really have anything…'


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 11_

'Are you really wearing that?' Kensi asked Deeks when she walked into his bedroom and saw him standing in front of the mirror. Deeks looked confused from his reflection to Kensi.

'What is wrong with this?' he asked her. Kensi took a few steps towards him.

'Nothing…but you always wear something like this,' she said. 'Maybe…something a little more formal? It is dinner at my mom's place…' Deeks turned around to face her and put his hands around her waist.

'Are you still sure you want to do this?' he asked and Kensi adverted her eyes. 'We can always just eat dinner and not ask her…if that makes you feel more comfortable. Or tell her that Narah has become sick and we can't possible leave her on her own.' Kensi shook her head slowly.

'I shouldn't be worried about the clothes you're wearing to the dinner,' she sighed. 'But I don't want it to see like…like we find it something normal…' Deeks touched her cheek.

'It should have been normal,' he whispered at her. 'And it will be, some day. You and your mom just have to get used to the mother-daughter thing. Just like we had to with Narah.' Kensi glanced at Deeks and for a few minutes they stared at each other. 'I mean it in a fosterparent-fosterdaughter kind of way, of course.'

'Of course,' Kensi said and she took a step backwards, away from Deeks arms. 'I am going to check if Narah is ready.' Deeks nodded.

'And I will pick another shirt,' he said and Kensi kissed him.

'You're too good for me,' she whispered at him and she quickly left the room. Outside she stood still. The moment had been strange. But it was not something she should think about right now. She took a deep breath to shake it off and she knocked on the bathroom door. When she heard mumbling she took it as permission to enter and she opened the door. Narah was sitting on the toilet with the lid closed. Kensi noticed she was looking tired.

'Are you almost ready?' she asked gently and Narah shrugged. Kensi entered the room. 'What is wrong, Narah? Would you rather stay home?'

'Can I?' she softly mumbled. Kensi took another deep breath.

* * *

'Thank you, Callen,' Kensi said relieved when she and Deeks dropped Narah off at Callen's place. Narah had walked inside rather quickly.

'No problem,' he said. 'Sam canceled our plans of drinking a beer so I have the time. And don't worry about picking her up. I can drop her off at school tomorrow. Then you can have an evening off.' Deeks and Kensi nodded and they continued their journey to Julia's house. The drive was quiet. Kensi waited a little longer in the car when they had arrived at the house. It was still strange for her to walk over to the house. To wait for her mother to open the door. To wait for her mother. She was still so used to her life without her mother. But each time Julia opened the door and smiled at her, Kensi's heart made a small jump. A jump of joy or sadness. Kensi had not yet determined that.

'Come inside,' Julia smiled warmly as she held the door open for Deeks and Kensi. 'No problem getting here?' Kensi shook her head as she passed her mother. The three of them walked into the living room and all sat down on the couch.

'Umm, Narah wasn't feeling too well, so she couldn't come,' Deeks told Julia, trying to break the uncomfortable atmosphere a little.

'Oh, I'm sorry to hear that,' Julia replied and the silence fell again. Deeks was looking around in the room, Kensi's eyes were glued to the coffee table and Julia's eyes were glued to her daughter.

'It sure smells good, Miss Feldman,' Deeks said in another attempt. 'What are you making that smells so good?'

'Oh, please call me Julia,' she smiled and she glanced at Kensi. 'I made lasagna…it used to be Kensi's favorite when she was a little girl.' Deeks nodded interested and Julia took a deep breath. 'Well…umm…can I get you anything to drink? Some water or soda? Wine?' The way she said 'wine' sounded like she longed for a glass herself. And maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe some alcohol could take away the awkwardness.

'I would like some wine,' Kensi answered. 'Can I…umm…help you with anything?' Julia shook her head.

'No, the lasagna is in the oven and should be ready soon and I can get the drinks myself,' she answered Kensi. 'Mister Deeks, what would you like?'

'For you to please call me Deeks…or Marty,' Deeks answered with a smile. 'Mister Deeks reminds me too much of my boss.' Kensi smiled a little and Julia nodded. 'Oh and a soda is fine for me.' Julia nodded and she walked to the kitchen.

* * *

Narah sat on the only chair in the living room. He had only one chair. No couch. No TV. She looked around. He actually had nothing at all. A chair and some tin box. The way it stood prominently on the mantelpiece told her it must be important to Callen.

'So,' Callen slowly said as he came back from the kitchen with a mug with water for Narah and a beer for himself. Narah wasn't even surprised he didn't have a glass. A man that did not have a couch would definitely not have a glass.

'So,' Narah repeated and she looked at her feet. At her new shoes. At her new jeans. At her new top. She was in all new clothes. She sighed at the same moment as Callen and she glanced at him.

'What do you normally do?' Callen asked. 'When you're home?'

'Watch TV…' Narah answered and Callen nodded. 'What do you do?'

'Practice my Russian,' Callen answered and this time Narah nodded. 'Did you finish your book already?' Narah smiled and remember how he had sat down beside her. How he made her feel a little safer for some reason. As if he was the one who could really understand her. And he seemed really interested in what book she was reading.

'Finished it many times,' she answered him and she glanced at her bag beside her. The book was inside it. She took it almost everywhere. Suddenly she needed to know something. 'Do you have something from your parents?'

'Just memories,' Callen answered saddened. 'I was young when I lost my parents.'

'And then you ended up in the system,' she said and Callen nodded.

'Yes, I ended up in a system where no one wanted me,' he answered. 'My home was always temporary. This house has been my home the longest. For two years now…and three months when I was a child…' Narah looked around and this time with other eyes. This had been the place he stayed the longest with a foster parent. Three months.

* * *

'Wow, Julia, the lasagna was really great,' Deeks told Julia when they had finished their dinner. At the start the silence was still present but as the evening progress the small talk started. 'Did you do something special with it?' Kensi glanced at her mother and saw the sadness in her eyes.  _'I made it with extra love.'_  That was what Julia used to say when Kensi was still a little girl and asked the same thing.

'Umm…nothing special,' Julia answered with a saddened smile. 'Can I get you a desert? I have ice cream…cookie dough…' She glanced again at Kensi.

'I would love some,' Kensi answered with a smile.

'Good, otherwise I would have been stuck with the ice cream,' Julia said, attempting to joke and Deeks and Kensi smiled, just to be polite. 'Would you like something as well, Marty?'

'I would like some ice cream as well,' he answered. Julia quickly gathered the plates and left the room.

'That went well, right?' Deeks said to Kensi, who slowly nodded.

'Only Narah wasn't here and the plan was for them to meet,' she replied. 'Now we can't ask her…'

'Ask me what?' Julia asked who walked in that exact moment with bowls and the ice cream. She put them down and gave both of them the ice cream. 'What do you want to ask me, Kensi?' Deeks nodded encouraging at Kensi and she just glared at him.

'We meant to bring Narah along so that you could meet her,' Kensi started to explain. 'About a week ago a man tried to break into my house, when Narah was home alone. He was long gone when Deeks and I got there…only now we don't want to leave her alone and we wanted to ask you…' She glanced at Deeks for a little help, but received it from her mother.

'…if I could take care of her while you two are at work?' Julia finished.

'Actually…yes,' Deeks answered.

'I see,' Julia replied slowly.

'But now you haven't met her and would it just be weird to ask this of you…' Kensi rambled. 'And I don't want it to be weird…it is already a weird situation…and…' She abruptly stopped when Julia put her hand on Kensi's. Since the day Kensi had seen Julia again for the first time in fifteen years, she had not been touched like this by her mother. When she realized she was staring at her hand, she looked up. Julia was smiling at her. All Kensi could see was her mother's smile. It was different from what she remembered. It was sadder.

'If it helps you when I take care of her, I will,' Julia slowly told her. 'She is your child, so she must be a good child.' Kensi couldn't find the right words. She could find no words at all.

'Are you sure, Julia?' Deeks asked for her and Julia nodded.

'I will be happy to help you,' she said and she patted her daughter's hand. 'This can be a chance to do things better.' Kensi bowed her head.

'Thank you, Julia,' Deeks said, as he realized he would be the only one who could do some talking. Julia and Kensi were just looking at each other.

* * *

Narah could not sleep for some reason. Callen did not have a bed – not surprising at all – so she was back to sleeping on an air mattress and in a sleeping bag. She would have thought it was easy to fall asleep since she was used to sleeping like this. But she could not sleep. She had got used to sleeping in a bed. And maybe the fact that Callen seemed to be taking apart some electric machine could be a reason. The way the screwdriver made contact with the metallic side. Narah sighed and she gave up. She crawled out of the sleeping bag and she grabbed her jacket. She did not feel like talking to Callen but neither could she stay any longer in this room which felt so small. She walked over to the window and opened it. The fresh breeze welcomed her and she stuck her arms outside. It was nice outside. She looked back inside and the light in the kitchen was still on. She doubted for a moment but then she grabbed her phone and climbed out of the window. A rush of adrenaline came over her. She was escaping the house of a trained agent…with ease. She walked to the road and started to run. She started to run to nowhere special. She just went running. She ran passed all of the dark houses. Everyone seemed to be asleep in the neighbor, except her. She was running.

She kept running till every muscle in her legs hurt and she had reached the beach. Panting she sat down in the sand, which was still warm. That did surprise her. Not that Callen had no furniture or that nothing happened with the youth center case. No, that did not surprise her. But that the sand was still warm, did. It was nice to sit in the warm sand after a tiring run. If she just laid down…if she could find the calmness. But the calmness did not come. Narah was on edge. She scanned the area. Why was she so stupid to leave the house? Why did she need to feel free and unprotected?

'It is indeed a nice night for sitting on the beach,' a male voice said and Narah turned around, her heart beating fast in her chest. Her eyes met blue eyes and her heart relaxed as Callen sat down beside her. 'You could have told me you wanted to sleep on the beach, Narah.'

'I…umm…I…' Narah could not find a reply. 'How?'

'I am a trained agent,' Callen answered her. 'I heard you getting out of your sleeping bag and how you climbed out of the window.' Narah blushed for her foolish thinking that she was smarter than Callen, the trained agent. 'But I thought you would like a run so I tailed you. You're a fast runner.'

'Thank you,' Narah smiled. Then she looked at him. 'Are you going to tell Deeks and Kensi I snuck out of the house?' Callen shook his head.

'Did you sneak out of the house?' he asked her with a smile. 'I thought we were going to sleep on the beach…' He pointed at the bags next to him, which Narah hadn't noticed before. She looked at him with a big smile on her face. Then, out of nowhere, she felt the urge to hug him.

'Thank you,' she whispered in his ear while she hugged him.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 12_

'Narah, your phone is vibrating,' Deeks told the teenager from the couch. Narah, who was sitting at the table, shrugged and continued working on her homework. Her phone kept vibrating. Deeks sighed and tried to read the paper, but the buzzing sound was a big distraction.

'Don't you want to know who is calling you?' he asked, putting his paper down again. Again Narah shrugged and she played with the pencil in her hand. Deeks got up and walked over to the table to grab the phone but Narah was faster.

'I will turn it off,' she told him. Deeks sighed and he sat down.

'It was Emily calling,' he said. 'Why aren't you talking to her? Did something happen today at school?'

'No, nothing happened,' Narah answered annoyed. 'I just don't feel like talking to her. I am trying to make my homework! Is that such a crime?' Deeks was surprised by her answer and he decided to leave it alone. Leave her to do her homework and call Kensi, who was having an evening with her mother, to ask her about it. Girls are always closer to each other. When he looked up at her, he could see tears in Narah's eyes, threatening to fall. Something was definitely going on.

'I'm going to take Monty for a walk,' he announced to her. 'Do you want to join us to the beach? Or do you have much homework to make.' Narah shook her head at first but then she nodded. 'Yes or no, Narah?' He had tried to bring it with a smile but seeing Narah's face, he had failed.

'I'm staying to finish my homework,' she told him. 'Big test coming up.' Deeks nodded and he called for Monty, who came happily walking towards him.

'Okay, well we won't be gone long,' Deeks said. 'Good luck with your homework and call when you ne…'

'Bye,' Narah cut him off and Deeks just left his apartment.

* * *

'She simply refuses to talk about it,' Deeks told Kensi over the phone and he sounded very worried to Kensi. 'And there is definitely something going on. What teenage girl turns off her phone? I was surprised she even knew how to turn off her phone.' Kensi smiled weakly and when she turned she saw her mother looking at her.

'Deeks, can we talk tomorrow? My mom and I are just about to start dessert…and then we can think about everything before drawing conclusions. Friends fight sometimes. It is what makes it a teenage friendship.'

'Did you fight with the girl you normally spoke to every evening before dinner and then again before you went to sleep?'

'Umm…I did not have a friend like that, so I can't tell you. But Deeks, it will be fine. Everyone gets angry sometimes. Narah will get over it. In about a week she will be laughing if she would hear how worried you were.'

'Well sorry I look out for her…but I guess you are right. Maybe I should wait…You should go to your mom and the ice cream. We will talk in the morning. I love you.' Kensi smiled. She loved hearing those words coming from his mouth.

'I love you too.' When she hung up she smiled at Julia before explaining what was going on. 'We have some problem with Narah, who is probably in a fight with one of her friends. Deeks is worried…'

'Girls fight at that age,' Julia smiled and she handed Kensi her bowl of ice cream. 'It's probably about a boy they both like…but I would understand it if you want to go home and talk to Narah.' Kensi shook her head, looking at the ice cream.

'That isn't necessary,' she said. 'Deeks will manage without me…I hope.' Julia nodded and they slowly walked over to the couch. For some time they sat in silence, eating their ice cream.

'I have some videos,' Julia said. 'Of some of our summers…we could watch them if you would like that.' Kensi swallowed slowly. She did not know if she was ready to see her father in the garden, playing with her, like they had no worry in the world. Not knowing within five years Julia would have left them and he had left her alone.

'Or we could do something else,' Julia suggested. 'I have a lot of movies…or maybe we just talk to each other.' The evening had gone so well, but just like always at some point the awkwardness came creeping back in.

'I would like to talk,' Kensi smiled and Julia nodded.

'So tell me about Narah,' she said. 'How did you two meet that girl and decided to foster her? And why do I only hear about her now…you're her foster parents for two months now, right?' Kensi nodded.

'About two months yes,' she said. 'We actually met Narah during a case. She was a witness…the only one who wanted to tell us something. She needed protection and Deeks and I thought we could do it. She looked like she just needed a good second chance for a change. So we decided to take her in…and are still not sure if it was the best thing we could have done for her.'

* * *

Deeks had not slept for a moment that night. All he could think about was what was going on with Narah. He thought about every possibility but came up empty each time. So he stood yawning in the line for some coffee. He had just dropped Narah off at school and still had some time before he had to be at work. Enough time to get some needed coffee.

'Here you go, sir,' the lady behind the counter smiled and the amazing smile of coffee reached Deeks. Gratefully he took the cup and took a sip of the hot liquid. It was just what he needed. He paid and got in his car. In the Ops center it was quiet. Not a lot of people were in yet. But Callen, Kensi and Sam were already sitting at their desks.

'Good morning,' Kensi greeted him smiling. Deeks only nodded and he sat down at his desk. Maybe it had been wiser to call in sick. It was hard to keep his eyes open and one coffee wasn't enough to survive the morning, let alone the day.

'Did you get any sleep at all?' Kensi asked him and Deeks shook his head.

'I kind of was going through all the reasons why she would not speak to Emily,' he told her. 'And I came up with so many possibilities and many of them not even really possibilities but just the experiences of being a cop for all these years.'

'They probably just had a fight,' Sam said. 'That's normal for that age.' Deeks saw Kensi suppressing her laugh and he glanced at Sam.

'Just…don't say that,' he told Sam. 'Everyone is already telling me that, but can't I be worried about her? She rather made her homework than call with her friend.'

'Don't worry about it, Deeks,' Callen assured him. 'Narah will tell you about it, when she is ready.' Deeks took a deep breath and the last sip of his coffee. Now he needed to find something more before…

'I have a case for you,' Hetty announced and they all curious looked at her. 'A friend of mine called; his granddaughters are missing. If you would all join Mister Beale and Miss Jones. They will be able to tell you more.' Hetty turned around and slowly walked back to her office.

'This sounds serious,' Callen told the team.

'Yeah, she did not even go upstairs,' Deeks agreed. 'Normally she would if she was personally involved with the case…'

'We better go and see what Eric and Nell have for us,' Kensi suggested and they all walked upstairs.

* * *

'Jasmine and Gwen Hasting,' Nell told the team while two pictures of young girls turned up on the screen. Two girls smiling happily. 'Jasmine is fourteen and Gwen is ten years old. They did not get home after school. Their father John Hasting called the cops pretty soon. He told them that his girl would never be late. Not after his wife died.'

'Leanne Hasting died in a car accident after she went to get the groceries,' Eric continued from Nell's story. 'She died on impact. Hasting and his daughters were only told after a day. She died three years ago and since a couple of months Hasting has a new girlfriend: Isabelle Rhodens. Hasting said the girls love her and that she loves the girls.'

'They walk home from school or do they take the bus?' Callen asked.

'They walk home according to Hasting,' Eric answered. 'It's only a five minute walk and Isabelle is always home waiting for the girls.'

'Could this have something to do with Hasting's or Isabelle's work?' Sam asked. 'Or someone who wants to get revenge to either one of them?'

'Doesn't seem like it,' Nell answered. 'Hasting works at a private security firm and Isabelle works part-time as a cleaner at a hotel. Neither of them have trouble at work or a criminal record.'

'So who is the grandfather?' Deeks asked curiously and all turned to him. He put his hands up in defense. 'Hey, I am the one asking the question everyone is thinking. Everyone wants to know this contact of Hetty.'

'Some things are meant to be left alone, Mister Deeks.' Deeks jumped and cursed silently when he heard Hetty's voice behind him. Someone really should give that ninja an alarm.

'I guess so,' Deeks smiled at her.

'I suggest you go to the house of the Hastings and find these girls,' Hetty told them and without another sound the team walked out of the room. Outside Kensi punched Deeks in his arm.

'Ouch!' he yelled out while rubbing over his arm. 'Where is the love?'

'The love will come back when you stop asking stupid questions about Hetty and her life,' Kensi answered him. 'Now get in the car.'

* * *

There was a dead silence in Deeks' apartment. Narah was sitting at the table, working on her homework, with her phone nowhere to be seen, and Deeks and Kensi were sitting on the couch, watching her. Following every move the teenager made.

'She looks fine to me,' Kensi whispered to Deeks. 'She is making her homework, like she promised she would.' Deeks point at the table.

'Then where is her phone?' he asked. 'She never leaves that thing out of her sight.'

'It might be charging,' Kensi suggested and she stroked Deeks arm. 'Beside, Callen was right: when she is ready, she will tell us.' Deeks took a deep breath and Kensi stroked his hair.

'I hate this,' he said. 'It sucks to be a parent. All I get is worries and no sleep at all. How am I going to survive this?' Kensi laughed and she gave him a tender kiss.

'You will get over it,' she told him. 'Or we get stronger coffee.' Deeks smiled. The oven started to beep and Kensi got up to get the casserole out of the oven.

'Narah, could you...' Deeks asked while he moved towards the table. As he got closer, Narah quickly closed her books, shoving them away. Deeks looked at her and she stared back; not a word was spoken. Kensi put the casserole down without noticing the tension.

'Looks good,' Deeks told her absently and Kensi smiled at him.

* * *

Deeks wanted to walk Monty before they went to sleep so he called for the dog. Kensi spent her time without Deeks cleaning up Narah's stuff that was spread all over the table. That girl was even worse than she was with cleaning. It was a wonder that Narah could find her homework every day. Kensi grabbed the tiny pile that could belong to her or Deeks and searched through them to see what she could throw away. Putting them back, her eye fell on one of the papers sticking out of a book. It seemed to be written hastily and with emotions. The paper was crumbled and at some places the writing was smudged by what seemed to be tears . Curiously Kensi sat down with the paper in her hand. It seemed like an assignment for English – which should have been turned in a week ago – and that Narah had to pick a feeling that was close to her. Kensi had to swallow some tears away when she saw what feeling Narah had picked:

_Lonely_

_It's a feeling deep inside that never leaves my side. Always the feeling of loneliness. No matter how many people are around me. I'm alone in this big world. Everyone eventually leaves me. My mother and my father. My foster parents…no matter how much I like them..it always ends._

_Soon I get a new family, once again. A new house, new clothes, new rules. A new life. First I dreamed of the new lives I would get each time. But nothing is permanent I discovered. Even the one thing that seems the most consistent changes._

_My foster parents took me in because they had to. They were ordered to. It was to protect me. But now the case has turned 'cold' (as it is called). I'm no longer of use to them._

_I felt less lonely with them, even though they worked a lot. But they listened to me. They cooked for me. Talked to me. Spent time with me. Gave me rules. They seemed to care about me, but now, now they will just give me away. To the next family. Back into the loneliness…_

The paper was not finished and Kensi suspected that Narah had picked another feeling after rereading what she had put down. Something more cheerful. Something that would not alert her teacher. But it did alert Kensi.

Kensi did not show the paper to Deeks when he came back with Monty from their walk. She did not talk about it with Deeks. She first wanted to talk to Narah about it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 13_

It was the middle of the night when Deeks and Kensi's phones started to ring, which could never mean something good. Tiredly they grabbed their phones and their hunches were right. Just ten minutes ago some teenagers found the bodies of Jasmine and Gwen Hasting.

'One of us needs to stay,' Deeks said sleepily to Kensi, knowing that both of them could use the sleep right now. Kensi leaned over to him and kissed him.

'I will go,' she told him. 'Go back to sleep. And come after you bring Narah to school.' She had seen the tired look on his face the entire day. He needed the sleep more than she did. So she grabbed her clothes and took a quick shower. When she got back in the bedroom Deeks was already fast asleep. She smiled and gave him another gentle kiss. Before leaving she made some coffee and got in the car. In the car Kensi silently cursed. She really wanted to find the girls alive and reunited them with their dad. But some things were not supposed to happen.

Callen and Sam were already standing near the bodies at the crime scene when Kensi arrived. They gave her a short nod when she joined them. Rose was next to the bodies of the young girls.

'They have been death for about eleven hours,' the ME told them, 'which puts the time of death around four o'clock in the afternoon.' She got up and gestured her assistants to get the bodies loaded into the van. Then she turned to Callen, Kensi and Sam. 'The cause of death seems to be strangulation, but I can't be sure until after the autopsy.'

'Thank you, Rose,' Callen said and Rose walked over to the van.

'I want to see them!' A commotion started behind the tape. Kensi saw movement from her eye corners and when she turned around she saw John Hasting trying to get to the crime scene, only to be held by two LAPD officers. She quickly went over there.

'You can let him go,' she told the officers and they walked away. Hasting looked gratefully at her.

'Are…that my girls?' he stumbled.

'I'm sorry, Mister Hasting,' Kensi apologized and the man began to cry.

'Please let me see them,' he begged her. 'Just one last time…they are my girls! I have the right to see them!' He tried to push past Kensi, but she placed her hand on his chest, stopping him.

'It's better to remember them as the beautiful girls they were,' she told him gently. 'Wait till after the autopsy.' Hasting began to sob even more and he looked at her, with the tears streaming down his face. Kensi didn't know what to say and was relieved when she saw Isabelle running towards them. Isabelle took Hasting in her arms and Kensi could get back to Callen and Sam.

* * *

'Kensi had to leave early?' Narah asked surprised when she saw only Deeks standing in the kitchen and she did not hear the shower running. She sat down and grabbed the bowl with cereal.

'She got called in for a case around three a.m.,' Deeks told her. 'Did you sleep well?' Narah shrugged while she stuffed her mouth with cereal. Anything for an excuse not to speak. So Deeks agreed with the silence and he drank his coffee. He just looked at Narah. She looked like she had as little sleep as he had. It worried him. Why wasn't she sleeping well? Why was she ignoring her friend?

'Can we go soon?' Narah asked him, putting her bowl in the sink. 'I need to ask my teacher something before class starts.' Deeks looked surprised at her.

'When did you become the serious student?' he asked her with a smile on his face. But Narah didn't think it was funny and looked darkly at him.

'Since you forced me to become one,' she answered him bitterly and she grabbed her bag walking towards the door. 'Can we just go now?' Deeks nodded and quickly drank all of his remaining coffee. Together they walked to the car. The silence remained the entire ride to Narah's school. It was broken by Deeks when Narah got out of the car.

'Kensi's mother Julia is picking you up today,' he told her. 'Me or Kensi will try to be there as well but it might be hard to leave the office during the case. So if we don't show up, just go with Julia. We will pick you up around seven from her place.'

'Fine,' Narah answered shortly and she turned to walk into the school.

'Have a good day,' Deeks shouted after her but all Narah did was wave at him. Deeks sighed and drove to Ops center, ready for a long day of work and worrying.

* * *

'Jasmine had contact with a person called  _BB7009_ ,' Kensi informed Deeks when he was sitting behind his desk, drinking more coffee. 'She met him online on some chat site…according to Nell they had contact for over two months and their conversations were pretty personal.'

'So Jasmine might have been lured in by some old guy preying on young girls on the web?' Deeks concluded and he sighed. 'Just what I needed to make my day even better.' Kensi looked up from the file in her hands.

'Problems with Narah this morning?' she asked him.

'I don't know,' he said. 'It is like we're living with a stranger in the house. She wanted to leave to school as soon as possible and barely spoke a word. I'm telling you: something bad is going on.' Kensi thought about the assignment and still wasn't sure if she should tell Deeks. But before she got a chance, Eric came downstairs.

'We managed to get an ID on  _BB7009_ ,' he told them and he turned the TV screen on. A driver license appeared on the screen. ' _BB7009_ , better known as Brad Anderson. Thirty-three years old and a known pedophile.'

'Shit,' Kensi cursed. 'Jasmine and Gwen got into the hands of a pedophile? How are we going to tell that to the father?'

'His address is on your phones,' Eric said without acknowledging what she just said. 'Callen and Sam are already en route to his house. They're waiting for you.' Deeks and Kensi grabbed their stuff and got to the car.

'A pedophile,' Deeks mumbled. 'Yeah, that made my day a whole lot better…'

'Deeks, just focus,' Kensi told him. 'Maybe something else is going on.'

* * *

'Jasmine is dead?' Brad Anderson asked shocked. Callen, Deeks, Kensi and Sam were standing in the man's living room where he was sitting on the couch, repeating the same question over and over.

'Yes, she and her sister were found dead this morning,' Callen told the man and Anderson shook his head and then he looked up, with an angry glare at the team.

'And of course you think I did it,' he said. 'Because I am the sick pedophile! Well I did not. Jasmine had become my friend…I never met the girl in real life. I have no idea what she looked like…I like her.'

'Just like you liked those other girls?' Deeks asked harshly.

'I am sick and working on getting better,' Brad said defensively. 'I accepted my decease and I am making sure I will never make such a mistake again.'

'By chatting with girls on the internet instead of stalking them?' Deeks continued asking. Brad got up from the couch and stepped really close to Deeks, like he was ready to hit the detective right in the face.

'I never stalked any of those girls!' he growled. 'And right now I think it's better for me not to speak to you unless I have a lawyer with me. I kindly ask you to leave my house and leave me alone. I have enough trouble without the cops visiting.' Deeks want to say something but Sam took him away by his arm.

'Easy, Deeks,' he told him. 'We will get him in the end…we always do.' Deeks took a deep breath and walked over to the car.

'Is he going to be okay?' Callen asked Kensi, who sighed.

'Things changed for him now that we're taking care of Narah,' she said. 'But he will be okay. He will find his way somehow.'

'He'd better do it fast,' Callen told her. 'Because when he is acting like this, he can't be working on this case. We need to bring the killer to justice…who ever the killer is.' Kensi nodded and she walked over to the car as well, where Deeks was waiting for her. She gently touched his arm.

'I will be okay,' he whispered at her. 'I just…'

'Yeah, I know,' she told him and she drove them back to the Ops Center where the transcripts of the chat conversations between Jasmine and Anderson were waiting for them.

* * *

'You two look tired,' Julia commented when Deeks and Kensi arrived at the school. Kensi gave her mother a kiss on the cheek.

'We have been working on a case,' she explained to her. 'It's taking a lot of our time and energy. But we found time to come here and introduce you and Narah to each other.' Julia smiled and she stroked Kensi's arm.

'There is no need for that,' she said. 'I am sure Narah and I will get along fine.' Kensi smiled and they both turned to the school doors, waiting for Narah to come out. They didn't have to wait long after the school bell rang. A lot of teenagers came walking out of the door; Narah among of them. Deeks noticed the absence of her usual friends. The girl didn't greet them and just stared at Julia. Kensi looked from Narah, to Julia, to Deeks.

'Well, Narah, this is my mother Julia,' she introduced the girl to her mother. 'And mom, this is Narah, our foster daughter.' Julia extended her hand. Narah shook it with hesitation.

'Nice to meet you, Narah,' Julia smiled politely. 'Are you ready to go home with me? Or do you need to say goodbye to your friends?'

'I am fine,' Narah answered. 'We can go.' Julia looked surprised at Deeks and Kensi, who both shrugged.

'Okay,' Julia said slowly and she turned to Deeks and Kensi. 'We will see you around seven? Should I make dinner for you as well?'

'You don't need to go through so much trouble.' Kensi smiled weakly at her. 'And I'm not even sure we will be there around seven with this case.' Julia nodded understandingly and she gently touched Narah, signaling her that they were going. Narah shrugged off the hand and walked towards the car.

'I'm sorry…I don't know what…,' Kensi started but Julia's smile stopped her.

'She is a teenager,' Julia said as if it would explain all. 'I will keep some food warm for you two. And don't worry if it gets late. Narah can sleep in the guest room.'

'Thank you, mom,' Kensi said and she stopped when she realized what she said.

* * *

Both feeling suddenly exhausted Deeks and Kensi walked back into the bullpen. Callen and Sam were sitting behind their desks, both going through the files which formed a big pile on all the desks. Deeks sighed and grabbed the first file of the pile, not even bothering to sit down.

'I take that the meeting between Narah and your mother didn't go too well,' Sam said to Kensi who nodded and then shook her head.

'For how Narah has been acting the last few days…I think it went well,' she told him. 'But she hardly said a word and couldn't wait to go. She didn't even bother to say goodbye to her friends…she wasn't even with them.'

'Finally,' Deeks said as he put the file down. Callen, Kensi and Sam looked surprised at him. 'Finally you realize something is wrong as well! No more: "It's the age". Something is going on with our daughter and we are supposed to find out what that is!'

'Deeks…this is not the time,' Sam said slowly.

'Sam is right,' Callen agreed and he held up the file. 'We have to find the murderer of two young girls…for their father to get some peace. Can you concentrate on that for now?' Deeks took a deep breath and nodded.

'Nine-one-one call for Hasting's neighbors!' Nell alerted them. 'They said something about a gunshot.' The team grabbed their stuff and left.

* * *

A crowd had already gathered around the police taped area, all anxious to see some of the action that could be going on. Callen approached the LAPD officer that was looking at the house.

'What have we got?' he asked. The LAPD officer sighed and turned to him. Before he could speak a word, another gunshot sounded. Callen signaled Deeks, Kensi and Sam to be ready to enter the house. The crowd seemed to recognize that something was happening as they tried to get a better view. They all tried to move past the police officers and police tape.

'Eric, get an ambulance over here,' Callen ordered while the team moved towards the house. The front door seemed untouched and wasn't even locked when Sam tried to enter. Callen glanced at Deeks and Kensi, who nodded. As a perfect synchronized team they entered the house, moving towards the angrily shouting. Isabelle was standing over Hasting, who desperately tried to reason with her, talking softly but hastily to her. In her shaking hands was a smoking gun. Hasting pressed against his shoulder as blood was seeping through his fingers. He looked pale but in his eyes were flames.

'Isabelle, drop the gun,' Callen told her. 'We can just talk about it.'

'I did it for us!' Isabelle cried and her finger was dangerously close to the trigger. 'I did it all for us! And now…he doesn't see it!' She adjusted her aim to Hasting's head.

'Isabelle, just put the gun down,' Hasting begged her. 'We can talk about this! Just put it down, sweetheart…' The endearing name seemed hard for him to say. It seemed to pain him. But it seemed to calm Isabelle in a way.

'What did you do for him?' Callen asked her. Isabelle lifted her gaze from Hasting to Callen and then to Deeks, Kensi and Sam behind him, with their guns aimed at her. At her head and heart. Ready to shoot when needed. The distressed woman shook her head and pressed her hands against the sides of her head.

'It was all for us!' she shouted. 'I had no choice! I had no choice…' She suddenly relaxed and lifted her head up. Then five gunshots sounded.


	14. 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 14_

The team looked at Hasting who was staring at his dead girlfriend in front of him, seeming to have a hard time to understand what just happened seconds ago. He glanced at the NCIS agents, whose guns were smoking. Callen moved towards the confused man and pressed his hands against the bleeding shoulder. The pain seemed to take Hasting back to reality.

'What happened?' Kensi asked the man. Only minutes ago Isabelle had tried to kill Hasting and just seconds ago she had shot herself through her head after being dangerously close to shooting Hasting.

'Why didn't you let her shoot me?!' Hasting said angrily as he tried to push Callen away from his shoulder. 'Why didn't you let her kill me?! I would have been with my family! I would have gotten peace…if only you let her kill me!'

'Mister Hasting, what happened?' Kensi repeated and Hasting shook his head slowly before answering her.

'I…I came home…and she was standing in front of the fireplace,' Hasting pointed at the place his girlfriend stood. 'She was looking at the pictures of…of my girls…oh my god…' Hasting held his hand in front of his mouth. 'How could she have done that for us?' Kensi glanced at her team members, already fearing what the woman had done.

'Why did she kill them, mister Hasting?' Deeks asked carefully but he was pushed away by the paramedics before they got an answer. They dropped down next to Hasting to take a close look at the wound. But Hasting pushed them away.

'I can survive this,' he told them shakily. 'I don't feel the pain.'

'Sir, we need to treat this wound,' the paramedic urged.

'I refuse!' Hasting shouted. 'I need to tell…tell what happened to my girls. Then I am ready. Then I will come with you. My girls deserve peace!' Kensi put her hand on Hasting's knee.

'They will get their peace when they know you are okay,' she told him. 'Not when you tell us what happened to them. Their peace lays with your safety. Go with the paramedics. We will find out the truth.' Hasting seemed to need time to let it all sink in but then he nodded at the paramedics. He was ready to be helped. Deeks wrapped his arm around Kensi's waist.

'You found the right words,' he told her and Kensi adverted her eyes to the ground.

'Someone once said them to me,' she mumbled.

* * *

'Isabelle Rhodens has been admitted several times because of mental illness,' Nell told the team. 'As a teenager she had tried to take her own life several times. She was delusional and didn't understand reality.'

'So when she met Hasting, she had these plans for them,' Eric said. 'They were in love, so they would get married and have children…'

'Unfortunately for Hasting two teenage daughters didn't fit in that picture,' Deeks mumbled angrily and Eric and Nell nodded. 'He probably had no idea who he brought into their lives.'

'And now he has to live with the fact his girlfriend killed his daughters,' Sam sighed. 'With the guilt of bringing the woman into their lives. He will never live the life he once had…not with that kind of guilt…' The silence fell as they saw their boss walking slowly towards them.

'Well done, all of you,' Hetty told them softly. 'I suggest you fill in the paperwork and then head home, all of you.' The last three words she stressed while she looked at Callen. The team nodded and Hetty walked away.

'She does not look good,' Deeks noted.

'Well the grandchildren of one of her contacts were kidnapped and killed,' Sam said. 'I think she hoped to reunite the family…'

'We all hoped that,' Callen replied and silently everyone went to their place to take the time to fill in the paperwork.

* * *

'Deeks…I held something from you,' Kensi blurted out when they were driving towards Julia's house to pick up Narah. Deeks glanced questioningly at her, urging to keep talking. Kensi took a deep breath. 'I found an assignment of Narah…one she did not hand in…one about a feeling she felt familiar with.'

'Which one did she choose?' Deeks carefully asked, knowing it would not be a feeling they were supposed to be glad with.

'She chose lonely…' Kensi answered him. 'Deeks…she feels lonely...with us. She feels that we are just temporary.' Deeks took a deep breath. Julia's house appeared in front of them and Deeks parked the car.

'We will talk about this at home,' he told her. 'With Narah.' His tone was forceful and Kensi wasn't used to the tone. She could not remember if she had heard it before. But it did sound hurt. It hurt him that she had not told him before. She watched him walked in front of her towards the house. There was anger in his pace.

'Ah you're kind of early,' Julia greeted them surprised. She did not notice the tension, or she had chosen to ignore it. 'Did you solve the case already?'

'Yes,' Deeks answered curtly. Julia glanced questioningly at Kensi, who simply shook her head.

'Are you staying for dinner?' Julia asked, not giving up that easily. 'I was just about to prepare something.'

'No, we should get home,' Kensi answered her. 'We have a few things to discuss…but thank you for the offer.'

'I will get Narah for you,' Julia said. 'She is in the study, trying to work out some assignment for school.' When Julia left Kensi turned to Deeks.

'Deeks…' she tried but Deeks put his hand up. Only a little, but enough for Kensi to noticed and to keep her mouth shut.

'We will talk about it at home,' he told her bluntly.

* * *

The drive home was in dead silence. Kensi glanced at Deeks, to see if she could talk to him. If she could apologize. But his gaze was fixed on the road and nothing could change that. Narah wasn't looking at neither of them. She was staring only at her hands.

The first thing Narah did was run towards her room, leaving Deeks and Kensi at the uncomfortable silence. As Deeks glanced up, Kensi tried to make contact with him. And when it did not work, she stepped towards him, forcing him to look up.

'Deeks, I am sorry I did not tell you,' she told him. 'But it felt like I had read her diary…invaded her privacy. I could not tell you…not yet at least…'

'So you waited,' he concluded and Kensi slowly nodded. 'You made me worry about her…Guess about what could be wrong…I told you about all that I imagined…and still you did not think to tell me?'

'I did not know what to do with that assignment!' Kensi replied, her voice raising. 'I was not supposed to read it! It was because I cleaned up that I found it!'

'You never clean…' Deeks said, sounding calmer.

'Well we are in your apartment and I know you don't like the mess,' she told him and she took a step closer to him. Deeks looked into her eyes and he sighed.

'You were wrong to keep it from me,' he told her and Kensi nodded.

'I am sorry,' she told him and Deeks stroked her cheek.

'God…I can't stay mad at you,' he told her and he kissed her lips gently. 'And I kind of respect that you wanted to give Narah a sense of privacy…but her behavior has gone on too long and we need to talk to her about it.'

* * *

'You went through my stuff!' Narah shouted furiously and Deeks put his hands up, hoping it would calm her, but it did not work. 'You had no right to go through my stuff!' Kensi put her hand down, firmly, and it made Narah look at her.

'You left it on the table, for everyone to read,' Kensi told her, angrily but still calm. 'I just wanted to see if any of the papers belonged to us. The assignment fell out…'

'So you read it?' Narah asked furiously. 'Who told you it was okay to just read my stuff? It was not for you to read!' Tears were threatening to fall from the girl's eyes.

'That's right,' Deeks said. 'Kensi had no right to read it…but we are worried about you. You hardly say anything, you don't speak to your friends and suddenly you are the perfect student – not that we mind – but it's not you, Narah. And you should not hide in your schoolwork if things don't go as planned…'

'I do not hide!' Narah spat out, like it was venom. 'And maybe I'm trying to prepare!'

'Prepare for what?' Kensi asked.

'Prepare for my leave,' Narah answered. 'You have read my assignment…everything I have is always temporary…but I don't want to be passed on and on! I don't want to be a second hand child!' The anger glare on her face was replaced by a saddened look. 'I want to stay…' With those whispered words she jumped up from her chair, kicking it to the floor in the progress and she ran towards the door. Once throw open, she ran straight through. Kensi tried to run after her but Deeks stopped her. Confused and angrily she looked at him.

'Let me go, Deeks!' she shouted. 'We can't let her go!'

'Yes we can,' Deeks replied calmly. 'We have to.' He let Kensi go and grabbed Monty's collar. He crouched down to the dog's height. 'Go get her, boy.' And he pushed the dog towards the door. Monty quickly ran out, just like Narah had done.

'You're sending a dog after a distressed teenager?!' Kensi yelled angrily at him, not seeing any sense in that action. 'Are you fucking stupid! You can't just send a dog after her!' Deeks ignored her, which made her only more furious, and he walked towards his laptop. After he turned it on, he gestured Kensi to come.

'Does it make more sense to send a dog with GPS after her?' he asked her gently, pointing at the moving red dot on the screen. 'Monty will find her and we will know where she is.'

'Unless he doesn't get to her!' Kensi told him. 'Have you thought about that? He is a dog! Not a human being! Dogs get distracted by food or other dogs…'

'Monty is a police dog,' Deeks argued. 'Trust me, he will be with Narah…and if you want, we can go after her now.' Kensi glared at him but she nodded. Even though she found Deeks' plan idiotic, she wanted to be there for Narah.

* * *

'Where are we?' Kensi asked confused as she and Deeks walked towards an old apartment building. If it wasn't for the laundry hanging from several balconies, Kensi would have thought it was abandoned. Deeks glanced around. Then he pointed upwards. Monty was lying in front of some stairs, four stories up. He could see a hand resting on the dog's back and he hurried upstairs. Narah was sitting near the window, looking inside with tears running over her face. Deeks sat down on the stairs without saying a word. As he glanced down, he was surprised to see Kensi still standing next to the car. She was just looking up at them, and as she saw he was looking at her, she nodded. She was giving him the chance to handle this. So Deeks sat there on the stairs, keeping his eyes on Narah, whose tears kept falling. Monty didn't seem to think about moving a muscle. He stayed next to the teenager as she was the most precious thing the dog has ever owned.

'Are you wounded?' Deeks asked carefully; he needed to know. Narah slowly shook her head and he nodded. She took her eyes away from the window and she looked at Deeks. She looked for a long time and without saying a word.

'I waited here two days,' she them told him. 'Two whole days…just sitting here. Not moving a muscle as she had told me. "Wait here till I come back".' Her eyes felt like they were boring right through him. He had not seen such a piercing look from the girl. It felt like he was feeling her pain.

'She just left me…' Narah whispered and her lip began to tremble. 'She knew she wasn't coming back and still she left me waiting here…telling me to wait for her…and if it wasn't for Social Services…I would be still waiting for her…right here.' She looked down to the spot she was sitting in.

'We won't let you waiting,' Deeks told her and it was more than just telling her. It was a promise to the heartbroken teenage girl.

* * *

After they had gotten home safely with Narah, Deeks and Kensi were lying in their bed. Narah had directly fallen asleep from all the emotions and Deeks had to carry her inside, into her bedroom.

'Deeks, do you think we failed her?' Kensi whispered softly when she lay in his arms.. Deeks glanced at her and kissed her softly on her head.

'How do you mean, Kens?' he asked. 'We gave her stability. A family to live with.' Slowly Kensi raised up from his arms and she sat up, looking down on him. Deeks sat up at well, looking questioningly at her. He stroked her arm. 'What is this about?' Kensi slowly shook her head.

'Not really something,' she lied to him. 'I just ask myself; do we do enough for her? I mean, are we role models for her? Someone she can look up to?'

'Kensi, what is really going on? Did she mention something?'

'I don't think we're enough for her this moment. She needs something more permanent. Something that can't be taken away so easily…' Deeks stroked Kensi's cheek.

'She won't be taken away from us,' he assured her. 'We are her foster parents. They don't have a reason to take her away…' Kensi looked at him, for quite some time. Not saying a thing and it worried Deeks.

'What if I want to make it more permanent?' she eventually asked him. Dumbfounded. Deeks looked at her.

'You mean you want to adopt her?' he asked stunned.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 15_

'Forget I asked,' Kensi said hastily and she turned to her side, facing away from Deeks. She felt stupid for even mentioning it to Deeks. Mostly because this was not the place to discuss that. They were in bed. Right after an emotional day. But then she felt his hand touching her shoulder and she turned back to him. His eyes were calm and looking directly into hers.

'I won't just forget it,' Deeks told her with a serious face. 'Did you really mean that you want to adopt Narah? Not just because of what happened today...how devastated Narah was?' Kensi shook her head slowly.

'But you don't want to adopt her?' she asked him. Deeks took a deep breath.

'I don't know,' he told her honestly. 'Narah is already family...we don't need to adopt her for that. She already belongs with us.'

'She doesn't feel like that. You haven't read the assignment. She is sure this won't last.'

'But it will last. We won't send her back into the system and they won't take her. She is simply staying with us...but I don't know if adopting her is the right thing at this point. She might feel like you want to adopt her because you feel sorry for her...' He gently brushed a strand of hair out of her face and patiently waited for Kensi's reaction. She just looked at him. Not knowing the words to explain how she felt. That it felt like the right choice to adopt Narah.

'Maybe we should think about it a little longer,' Deeks gently suggested. 'Think it over and don't make it a rushed decision, which someone might regret later on. Gather some information first. Talk to Foster Care. See if Narah even wants to be adopted. It would mean giving up her biological parents.' Kensi nodded. Maybe Deeks was right. Maybe it would be wish to think it over. Maybe her thought was rushed. Narah might not be ready to give up her biological parents. Even though they were not there for her, they were her parents and that formed a connection. She looked Deeks in his eyes and he softly kissed her on her lips.

* * *

Deeks and Kensi had requested a day off to take care of Narah after the emotional day. Hetty had granted it them without much trouble, understanding that they needed to be there for the teenage girl. Narah had not left her room all day and when Kensi had peaked inside to see if she was alright, Narah was lying curled up in her bed, with Monty at her feet. The dog had taken a liking to the girl and she didn't seem to mind having found a friend in the animal. Deeks and Kensi were sitting on the couch when Narah decided to get out of her room. Her eyes were red and puffy and underneath them were bags. She walked into the room, slowly and hesitant, and sat down in the chair, knees drawn up to her chin. Monty, as her loyal follower, lay down beside the chair.

'Do you want some breakfast?' Deeks asked her kindly. 'Some pancakes?'

'Freshly squeezed orange juice?' Kensi asked.

'We don't have...' Deeks started but Kensi elbowed him. 'Ouch!'

'You can make some if Narah wants it,' she told him and Deeks nodded smiling.

'I am not that hungry,' Narah answered mumbling. Deeks and Kensi looked at each other and Kensi walked over to the chair, crouching down and putting her hand on Narah's knee.

'What would you like to do?' she asked the teenage girl, who refused to look her into the eyes. 'If you could do anything you want to, what would you want to do right now?'

'The beach,' Narah mumbled and Kensi nodded. She stood up and looked at Deeks

'Then we go to the beach,' she said and Deeks nodded as well.

'I will make us some drinks and food to bring along,' he said. 'If you could get the other stuff?' He walked into the kitchen. Narah kept her eyes on them, but did not move in the chair. Kensi decided to let that be and she started to collect some towels. It wasn't warm enough today to go into the sea but they still could spend a day on the beach. Just the three of them. Just some time to relax.

* * *

Because it was a colder day, the beach was relatively quiet. There were more couples instead of families, who just were walking on the beach. No one dared to go into the sea with the temperature, except for some teenage boys who were challenging each other to go in. But Deeks, Kensi and Narah did not mind the quiet. They rather enjoyed it. Monty had come along and Narah was playing with the dog near the waterline. She seemed so different from that morning when she sat in the chair, but Deeks and Kensi could still see that her laugh did not reach her eyes.

'Maybe she should talk to a professional,' Deeks suggested as they had spoken out their worries. 'A lot has happened the last couple of months...and we never made her talk about it.'

'Might be an idea,' Kensi agreed. 'We should ask her later.' Narah joined them and looked questioningly at them as they stopped talking. But she did not ask what they were talking about. Instead she grabbed something to drink. She looked from Deeks to Kensi, who were both looking at her.

'Are you having a good time?' Kensi asked carefully and Narah shrugged.

'Is it okay if I walk for a bit?' she asked. 'With Monty?'

'Where do you want to go?' Deeks asked suspiciously. Narah pointed to their right.

'Somewhere there, I think,' she answered. 'Just some walking...' She glanced at her feet waiting for their permission.

'Of course you can go,' Kensi said. 'As long as you don't go too far. We will leave when you come back.' Narah got up and stroked Monty's head before walking away. Monty happily followed her.

'That dog is made for her,' Deeks smiled as he watched them walk away. Kensi nodded with a smile.

'They sure love each other. Monty protectively laid his head down on her leg when I walked into the room.' Deeks raised his eyebrow.

'He was lying in the bed?' Kensi smiled.

'I think we should allow it for now.' Deeks wrapped his arms around Kensi and kissed her neck. Kensi leaned into his embrace.

* * *

Narah's eyes were again red when she came back an hour later. Deeks and Kensi watched her curiously as she sat down on the towels, hoping for some words of explanation. But Narah kept her gaze adverted from them.

'Are you ready to go home?' Kensi asked. 'Or would you like to stay a little longer?'

'Could we maybe go and see Emily?' Narah mumbled carefully.

'Of course,' Kensi answered, relatively relieved that she wanted to talk to her best friend again. 'You want to go see her right now?' Narah nodded and with the three of them they packed their stuff. Deeks noticed Narah's shaking hands and wondered where that came from. On their way over to Emily's house, Narah kept playing nervously with her hands.

'Did you and Emily have a fight?' Deeks asked, no longer able to contain his curiosity.

'Kind of.' Narah answered and she stared out of the window. Deeks did the same. He recognized the street. Here they had found Narah covered in blood after the shooting at the gym. The imagine of the teenager covered in blood gave him shivers and he was glad that she was safely in the car right now.

'We're here,' Kensi announced as she parked the car. 'You want us to come along or wait in the car?' Narah shrugged and they all got out of the car. Narah hesitated for a moment before walking to the door. They could hear a baby crying and people talking inside. Instructions to open the door were yelled and soon a blond teenage girl, who Deeks and Kensi assumed to be Emily, threw the door open. She yelped and pulled Narah into a tight hug. Narah returned the hug with the same intensity. Deeks and Kensi smiled at the sight of the friends hugging.

'You finally came,' Emily said relieved when she released Narah from their tight embrace. 'You wanna come inside?' The question was more for Deeks and Kensi, who nodded. Emily smiled and guided them to the living room. It was crowed in the room. A baby was lying in the playpen, two toddlers were running around and two children were sitting at the table, what seemed to be making their homework. An older woman began to smile when Emily and Narah walked into the room.

'Narah, I am so happy to see you,' she exclaimed and Narah was hugged by the woman. 'You look better...healthier. I bet you would like some pie.'

'I would love to, Maria,' Narah answered. It was only then that Maria seemed to notice the other two persons in the room.

'Ah, you must be the new foster parents,' she smiled. 'I am Maria Constalez, Emily's mother. Would you like some pie as well? And something to drink? Some tea or coffee?'

* * *

It was already late when Deeks, Kensi, Narah and Monty were on their way back to Deeks' apartment. Narah had fallen asleep in the backseat but there was a faint smile on her face and she looked so calm. Seeing the smile, Deeks and Kensi couldn't help to smile. They were glad that Narah had reconnected with her best friend. And Emily and her family were very nice. Maria had invited them for a delicious dinner. She had taken them aside and had told them with a smile that Narah deserved someone like them in her life. That they made her life a little easier.

'You want to wake her?' Kensi whispered as she parked the car in their spot at the apartment. Deeks shook his head and he walked over to the back. Carefully he lifted Narah from the seat. Kensi let Monty out and they walked upstairs to the apartment. Deeks put Narah in her bed and walked out of the room as Monty lay down at the girl's feet.

'She is sound asleep,' Deeks said. 'I think even you sleep lighter.' Kensi looked up with an evil but playful look.

'Don't dare to comment on how I sleep,' she warned him and she pointed her finger at him. Deeks stepped closer to her.

'And what if I do?'

'Then I will punch you where it hurts!' She laughed as he let himself fall on her. She pushed him next to her and turned so she was facing him. Gently he touched her cheek.

'I love the way you sleep,' he whispered at her and pulled her closer so he could kiss her.

* * *

'Narah, it's time to get up,' Kensi whispered to the sleeping teenager and she touched her shoulder. 'You have to go to school soon.' Narah growled and turned to her other side. Kensi sat down on the bed. 'You can't miss another day. You have missed enough. And today you will go to school and see Emily again...come on, Narah, breakfast in fifteen.' She patted Narah on her leg and she walked out of the room. She smiled when she saw Deeks standing in the kitchen, making pancakes. She loved seeing him so domestically.

'Stop staring at me and start waking up the teenager who needs to go to school,' Deeks joked and he flipped the pancake perfectly.

'How can I do that when you do such nice tricks?' Kensi replied and Deeks laughed. But Kensi turned around to knock on Narah's door once again and this time she got some mumbling as a reply. Meanwhile Deeks put plates with pancakes on the table.

'You think she is ready for school?' he asked Kensi, who sat down, worried.

'If she manages to come out of bed, dressed, she will be able to go,' she answered him and Narah's door opened. She came walking out, wearing jeans and a pink top. She was ready to go to school. Quietly she sat down and started to eat her pancakes.

'Do we need to write you a note for your homework?' Deeks asked. 'So that you don't get in trouble for not having finished it.'

'I finished it,' Narah answered. 'At Julia's.'

'Very well,' Deeks replied and they continued eating their breakfast in silence. Deeks and Kensi had already given up trying to make a conversation since there was no use. Narah only wanted to talk if it was absolutely necessary.

* * *

'Ah, Miss Blye and Mister Deeks, can we speak for a moment?' Principle Pumform asked when Deeks and Kensi dropped Narah off at school. They glanced worriedly at each other and then looked at Narah, who simply shrugged.

'Umm, I think so,' Kensi answered. Principle Pumform nodded satisfied.

'You can go to class, Narah,' he told her and he guided Deeks and Kensi to his office. He offered them a seat and some coffee before sitting down himself. He folded his hands and cleared his throat.

'How is it going with Narah?' he asked them. 'Experiencing any troubles with being her foster parents?' Deeks glanced at Kensi.

'No...we don't experience any trouble,' he then answered. 'We really enjoy being her foster parents. Maybe sometimes some little problems, but she is a teenager and it hasn't been an easy time for her. But...sorry for rushing you...but why are we here?' Principle Pumform cleared his throat again.

'Narah's English teacher has expressed some worries about the wellbeing of Narah,' he explained. 'She told me Narah is very quiet and delivering excellent work...which if not bad of course but it is when the student uses her schoolwork to hide from problems. And we all know Narah has problems. I was wondering if something had changed in the last few weeks...'

'Not specifically,' Deeks answered and he looked at Kensi.

'She goes to my mother after school since a few days,' she added. 'That might be the biggest chance.' Principle Pumford nodded.

'If I'm correct, you put the shooting of the youth center aside,' he said and Deeks and Kensi nodded. 'Does this mean Narah no longer needs protection?'

'Not specific protection but she is a teenager,' Deeks answered. 'They will always need some kind of protection.'

'If she does not need any "specific" protection, does that mean your duty is finished?' Principle Pumford asked. 'In other words, is Narah being returned to the system now that NCIS no longer needs to protect her?'


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always: I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 16_

'What is the procedure for us now that the case has turned cold?' Kensi asked Hetty a little harshly. 'Are we really supposed to turn Narah back to Social Services?' Hetty looked at Kensi for a few seconds with her eyebrows raised.

'Miss Blye, there is absolute no reason for you and mister Deeks to return Narah back to Social Services,' she slowly and calmly said. 'Unless you want to. But I have noticed how you and Mister Deeks care for the girl so I assume she has a permanent place with you.'

'She sure has,' Kensi answered.

'Then I suggest you tell the girl the same,' Hetty replied. 'Now go to the team. They seem to be waiting for your return.' Kensi looked over her shoulder and saw Callen, Deeks and Sam looking at the office. She smiled and turned back to her boss.

'Thank you, Hetty,' she said.

'No need to thank me, Miss Blye,' Hetty smiled. 'We should be thanking you and Mister Deeks for taking such good care of our witness.' Kensi nodded and she left the office.

* * *

'Hey, estranged friend,' Emily greeted Narah who was sitting behind a computer. 'What ya doing?' Narah clicked on a few links before turning to Emily.

'Not much,' she lied. 'Just some looking into something for an assignment. Why were you looking for me?' Emily raised her eyebrows.

'Who said I was looking for you?' she asked and Narah smiled. Then Emily laughed. 'Well, doesn't matter. I just wanted to ask you if you want to go to out for awhile? Miss Trausure is sick so we don't have English...so we have an hour off and Ming and I thought we could do something. Something fun like we used to...before all turned crazy?'

'Things were never normal,' Narah laughed.

'Just grab your bag and let's meet Ivan and Ming,' Emily instructed. 'They are waiting for us at the entrance.' Narah glanced at the dimmed screen of her computer for awhile, longing to continue with what she was working on. But Emily's begging eyes forced her to grab her bag. Laughing the two girls walked to the school's entrance. Their friends Ivan and Ming were happy to see Narah.

'The return of the Lost One!' Ivan joked as he put his arm around Narah's shoulder. 'Don't tell me those foster people locked you in the house.' The smile disappeared from her face.

'Can we just drop the foster parent situation?' she asked bluntly. 'Let's talk about the fun.' Ivan and Ming laughed but Narah saw Emily's worried look.

'Of course, Lost One,' Ivan said. 'Shall we go to the gym and shoot some hoops? They have practically been begging for your return.'

'Then what are we waiting for?' Narah replied smiling and the four of them walked towards the gym. Narah listened to Ivan's and Ming's storied about what they have been doing in the time Narah had been on her own and she felt strange. It felt all different. In front of the gym entrance Narah stopped in her tracks.

'Are you coming, Narah?' Ming asked confused.

'Could we do something else as well?' Narah asked and her friends shrugged.

'Sure, what do you want to do?' Emily asked.

'Play detective,' Narah answered.

* * *

'What did we miss yesterday?' Deeks asked Callen and Sam at a quiet moment during their workday, which seemed to be the entire day. Sam pointed at the papers in his out-box.

'Just some plain old paperwork,' he answered. 'And some working on the cold cases like always on a quiet day.'

'Nell got a hit on the description Narah gave us from the guy looking around your place,' Callen said, glancing at Kensi. 'LAPD got a case where a man with a similar description robbed an elderly couple downtown. They have not yet got an ID or found the man. They did promise us the first go once they caught him.'

'Was the elderly couple able to give us a better description of the man?' Kensi asked hopefully.

'I have not yet seen the sketch,' Callen answered. 'But it was similar enough for a match. LAPD is sending it to Eric and Nell and hopefully they can find him.' Deeks and Kensi nodded and they all went back to their files until Kensi's phone started to vibrate. The caller ID showed that Julia was calling and seeing the time, Kensi answered it quickly.

'Hey mom, everything okay?' She listened to Julia speaking quickly and had to concentrate to understand what her mother was saying exactly. Hearing and registering the words, she rose from her seat. 'What do you mean Narah isn't on the school grounds?' Deeks looked worried at Kensi and Kensi herself began to pace. 'Have you asked the principle or the janitor if they have seen her?' When Kensi ran a hand through her hair, Deeks' phone started to vibrate. His heart stopped for a moment when he saw it was LAPD. Slowly he answered the phone, fearing of the news he could hear.

'Deeks.'

'Ah, the famous detective Deeks.' Deeks sighed when he heard the voice of Belgerson, one of the many cops who did not like him.

'Belgerson, please not now...I...'

'Well, you might like to know we have someone in here claiming to know you...one Narah Monero.' Deeks waved his hand at Kensi to get her attention.

'Why is Narah at the precinct?'

'Maybe it's better you come yourself and talk to us in person, if that isn't too hard and below your standard. Oh and maybe it would be wish to bring a lawyer along...one that actually is one.' With those words Belgerson hung up and Deeks turned to Kensi.

* * *

Deeks was relieved to see officer Raulin behind the counter, seeing that he was one of the few cops Deeks could get along with. Raulin already rose from his seat when he saw Deeks and Kensi walking into the precinct.

'What is going on, Raulin?' Deeks asked worried. 'Why is Narah here?' Raulin looked a little uncomfortable before he answered.

'We were performing a raid downtown...at a know drugs dealer. Your girl...Narah...she was there with three of her friends. They were caught with nothing on them but they are minors who were "visiting" a drugs dealer.'

'Can we see her?' Kensi wanted to know. Raulin nodded and let them to an interrogation room. Inside the gray room Narah was sitting, looking annoyed. It reminded them of when they had her in the boatshed.

'I will see if we can take her home soon,' Deeks told Kensi. 'If you try to find out what happened...maybe get some pizza if necessary.' Kensi smiled weakly at him and he touched her hand as he walked passed her. Kensi nodded at Raulin, who opened the door. Narah looked shocked when she saw Kensi.

'Shit.'

'Thank you officer Raulin,' Kensi said and he walked out of the room. She sat down in the chair opposite of Narah, who avoided her look. Kensi tapped with her fingers on the table and the teenager nervously shifted on her seat. The door was opened, breaking the silence. A man in a suit with a file and cup of coffee in his hands walked into the room. He looked like an average detective. He glanced surprised at Kensi, who was sitting in his seat.

'Umm...good afternoon,' he said and he turned to Narah. 'Are you ready to talk now, Miss Monero?' Narah glanced carefully at Kensi, who was still watching her. The detective dropped the file on the table and grabbed a chair to sit on. He then slowly opened the file, took a sip and sighed. 'It would benefit you to talk. I think your mother would agree.'

'She is not my mother,' Narah said and the coldness in her voice surprised Kensi. The detective raised his eyebrows curiously.

'Special Agent Blye, Narah's foster mother,' Kensi introduced herself and she showed her badge. 'Are you charging her with anything or are we allowed to go home?'

'We would like to know why four teenagers were at a drugs dealer during school time,' the detective answered. 'But she did not have anything on her so we're not charging her...yet.' Narah looked relieved and ready to leave, but Kensi had other plans.

'If she does not speak, I would like to speak to the drugs dealer in question,' she told the detective. 'Maybe he can give us the information we need.'

* * *

'It was crazy, bro!' the drugs dealer named Ice Cool, real name James Roxburgh, exclaimed. 'First some chick walks inside with her friends and then...wow shit bro...hell breaks loose! Shooting, smoke, flashes! All that shit.'

'Well you decided to take a shot at one of our officers,' another detective told the drugs dealer. 'Then we tend to shoot back.' Ice Cool shrugged.

'Why was the girl in the building?' Kensi asked him. Ice Cool smiled and he leaned over the table, closer to her.

'TV-shows are true: female cops are hot!' he smirked. Kensi leaned in closer as well.

'Well, I am not a cop,' she told him. 'I am a Special Agent. So tell me why the girl was in the building, looking for you.'

'Special Agent indeed,' he said while he leaned back. 'Special Hot Agent...And because you are the spicy hot agent I will tell you what she was there. She was looking for Sleazy Alice.'

'Sleazy Alice? Who is that?'

'She is the bitch who owns me six thousand dollars for the d...umm loan I gave her. Never saw her again after that...still missing my money.'

'What is her full name?'

'Sleazy Alice...Bitchy Alice...Hooker...'

'Okay we get it,' the detective interrupted and Ice Cool smiled.

'Look, I told the girl the same thing I told you: I don't freaking know where Alice is and if I know...I would already been there and got my damn money!'

'I heard enough,' Kensi said while getting up and she headed to the door. Outside Deeks was waiting for her. He looked annoyed.

'I really should have done more effort to make some friends in here,' he sighed. 'But we can take Narah home after we are finished questioning people. Her friends are already picked up by their parents. Also no charges.' He stepped closer to her. 'Did you get anything from Narah?' Kensi shook her head. 'Anything from the drugs dealer.'

'Narah was looking for a woman called Alice,' she told him. 'Ice Cool used to know her but hasn't seen her since a long time or knows her location. She used to be one of her costumers and still owns him six thousand dollars.'

'Who is Alice?' Kensi shrugged.

'Maybe Eric and Nell can cross reference Narah's contacts and Ice Cool's costumers and hopefully find out whoever Alice is,' she suggested while they walked towards Narah's interrogation room. When they arrived Narah's eyes were filled with tears, threatening to fall.

'She is allowed to leave whenever she wants,' the detective spoke and he gathered his papers. Narah whipped her eyes and got up.

'What happened?' Kensi asked worried, placing her arm on Narah's arm.

'Can we just go home?' the teenage girl asked in a small voice.

'If you call my mother on the way home, we can go,' Kensi told. 'She was really worried when you did not show up when the school day finished...'

'Add Callen and Sam to that list as well,' Deeks added. 'You got us all worried for disappearing like that!' He put his arm protectively around her shoulder while Kensi went to receive her personal belongings.

* * *

'Can I go into my room?' Narah asked carefully after a long silence. 'I am tired.' Kensi nodded without looking up and the girl hurried to her room. They had been home quiet awhile but still Narah did not want to tell them who Alice was and why she was looking for her. Kensi hoped Deeks had more luck getting answers as he was on the phone with Eric for the results of the search on Alice. She glanced up when he walked back into the room and sat down, still holding his phone. He looked so worried it worried Kensi.

'What could Eric tell you?' she asked.

'Eric told me he found a match in the cross reference,' Deeks answered slowly. The slow pace meant it wasn't good news. Not combined with the serious look on his face. Despite how much she wanted to know, she did not press him. Deeks took a deep breath and fully faced Kensi.

'Alice's full name is Alice Monero. She is Narah's mother.'


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 17_

'Last morning Navy Commander Lewis received this threat through his e-mail,' Nell started the next morning when the entire team was standing in the OPS center. '"Stop negotiations or you can negotiate with us about your son's life!" There were several pictures of his son Cooper attached to the e-mail. Lewis is taking the threat very seriously. He ordered protection for his entire family. Xandra Lewis, his wife, forty-nine years and a writer. And Cooper, their son, twenty years old and studying Economics at UCLA.'

'Lewis demanded the best of NCIS to protect his son and work on the case,' Eric told the team. 'And the case landed on our desks. He appears to be close friends with the SecNav.'

'So Sam and Callen get to babysit?' Deeks asked and immediately received an angry glare from Sam. 'What?! We were the last one to babysit...in fact we're still babysitting.'

'Then you two have the experience and are quite able to protect the son of a friend of the SecNav,' Sam replied and Deeks shook his head, ready to contradict again.

'We will split up and take turns babysitting,' Callen told his team. 'Kensi and Deeks will take the shifts of the day and we will take the night.' Kensi nodded in agreement.

'Since when do we get the better job?' Deeks asked and Kensi smiled at him.

'Since we have Narah,' she answered him. 'We need to be at home at night.'

'Ladies and gentlemen, could you focus on the importance of the case?' Hetty said with a warning tone in her voice. 'Otherwise all you will be doing is babysitting witnesses from now on.' All for members directly turned back to Eric and Nell.

'Commander Lewis leads a team with several Navy. There are about twenty cameras on the premises.'

'Okay, Deeks and Kensi, you two go to the university and find Cooper,' Callen ordered. 'Sam and I will talk to Lewis himself.' Deeks and Kensi nodded and they left the OPS Center.

* * *

'Cooper Lewis?' Kensi asked a tall blond boy, whom she recognized from the pictures and she held up her badge. The boy smirked when he saw the object.

'Put it away,' he told her. 'My father is simply a paranoid man and has friends in the right places. Simply go home. I don't need "protection".' He turned back to his friends and Deeks stepped towards him.

'Too bad for you, Cooper.' he said. 'My partner and I are here to protect you so you're stuck with us. Otherwise we will lose our jobs...and might get killed by our boss.'

'That is only if you let me die,' Cooper smirked. One of the girls put her hand on his arm.

'Cooper, just let them do their job,' the girl told him, and Cooper's smirk disappeared.

'Fine,' he sighed. 'I hope you two like economics because my lecture is starting in ten minutes.'

'Actually it starts in five,' Kensi told him and Cooper raised his eyebrows. With the entire group of Cooper's friends they walked towards the lecture hall.

'Is she your girlfriend?' Deeks asked Cooper, nodding at the girl who had spoken against him.

'Yes, she is,' he answered curtly and he nodded at Kensi. 'Is she yours?' Now Kensi raised her eyebrows at him and glanced at Deeks with a meaningful look.

'If I told you that, she would kill me,' Deeks answered the boy. 'She is my partner.'

'Whatever you say,' Cooper replied, smiling. 'She is hot.'

* * *

'Why do we have to protect the boy who studies economics?' Deeks whispered at Kensi. They were sitting in the back of the lecture hall, listening to the professor. Deeks had lost his concentration after fifteen minutes, not understanding any of what the professor was saying. Kensi gestured him to be silent and she returned listening to the man. Deeks sighed and leaned back. His phone started to ring and he touched Kensi's shoulder, before leaving the lecture hall where he answered the phone.

'Detective Marty Deeks?'

'Deeks, Commander Lewis told us that the other party is an aggressive organization to which it was hard to even get a change to negotiate. When acted wrongly, the organization will take revenge.'

'You are full of good news, aren't you, Sam?'

'Always. How is it going with the son, Cooper?'

'Tons of fun. The kid studies Economics. Kensi seems to enjoy it. Also Cooper does not believe the threat is real. In his opinion is the commander just paranoid. Cooper hangs out with about seven other students. Eric and Nell should run a background check on them.'

'How are you enjoying the lecture?'

'Oh just amazing. Next time I will take a file along and study it. Then I will be more useful.' He heard Sam laughing and even Callen in the background, which made it even better...

'Okay, Deeks, you do that. We will see you at the house to take over.'

'Thanks, Sam. See you in the evening.' They exchanged goodbyes and while he hung up, Deeks sighed. Now he had to go back to the lecture hall. Quietly opening the door and sitting down next to Kensi, leaning towards her to repeat what Sam had told him.

'Could the gentleman in the back be so kind to keep his mouth shut or leave my lecture hall?' the professor called out and everyone in the hall turned around to look at Deeks. He smiled slightly embarrassed and the professor continued his lecture. When Deeks looked at Kensi, he noticed she was having a hard time keeping her laugh in.

* * *

Julia was wearing the smile that had become so familiar to Deeks and Kensi when she opened the door for them. She quickly let them inside and they saw Narah sitting at the dinner table, next to a boy.

'We have a visitor,' Julia told them, seeing that they were looking at the boy. 'That is Ivan, Narah's friend...he kind of needed a place to stay for a night.' Deeks and Kensi nodded understanding when they saw the black eye of Ivan.

'How is Narah?' Kensi asked.

'She has been staring at her homework for a while now,' Julia answered. 'Seems like she is somewhere else with her thoughts, somewhere far away. She didn't even touch her dinner.' Deeks sighed and walked over to Narah.

'It went fine without the phone,' Julia continued. 'It seems she realized it was not a good idea to go to a drugs dealer...but tell me why was she going to a drugs dealer?'

'She is looking for her mother,' Kensi answered, with hurt in her voice and Julia looked surprised at her own daughter.

'Why is she suddenly looking for her mother?'

'We did not have the chance to ask her yet...yesterday she was so emotionally exhausted when she was allowed to go home...but it seems like she thinks she has to leave...and she is not really the one to talk about those feelings or about her background...not with me or Deeks anyway.' Julia placed her hand gently on Kensi's arm and Kensi looked her mother in the eye.

'Narah loves you two. I can see that she is happy living with you, but a girl like Narah will always fear that people will leave her behind.' Kensi glanced shortly at the dinner table where Deeks was trying to help Narah and Ivan with their homework and she sighed.

'I want to adopt Narah...but Deeks doesn't seem to want to.' Julia took a deep breath.

'It's a big decision to adopt a child...and maybe not always necessary. Surely not when Narah will stay and live with you, no matter what happens.' Kensi took a shaky breath, fighting the sadness that was building up in her. Was she so wrong wanting to adopt Narah? Julia gently smiled at Narah. 'But I can see why you would want to adopt her. You clearly love her very much...'

* * *

'Thanks again that I could stay here for the night,' Ivan said timidly. 'I don't want to be a bother to you...' Deeks put his hand on the boy's shoulder.

'Again, don't worry about it, Ivan,' he assured the boy. 'A friend of Narah is a friend of us...and we couldn't really let you go home. But you will be sleeping on the couch! And no midnight visiting, understood?' Ivan nodded and Deeks smiled. 'Good...I will get you some ice for your eye.' He walked into the kitchen where Kensi was putting Julia's leftovers in the microwave.

'Do we have a blanket and a pillow for Ivan?' he asked her.

'I will get it later,' Kensi answered him and Deeks walked back with the ice pack for Ivan. Narah was sitting next to her friend. She glanced at Deeks as he handed Ivan the ice pack.

'Did you and Kensi have an argument?' Narah asked carefully. 'About...you know...the drugs dealer situation?' Deeks sighed and he shook his head.

'We just had a long day,' he lied.

'A new case?' Narah asked, sounding curious and hurt at the same time. And Deeks understood why. Whenever they had an active case, there was simply no time to work on the youth center case. He simply touched Narah's shoulder and turned to Ivan.

'How often does that happen?' he asked the teenage boy, nodding at the eye and Ivan shrugged. He glanced passed Deeks at Narah and Deeks understood that the boy did not want to talk about so Deeks got up.

'Dinner is ready,' Kensi told him and both sat down at the table while the teenagers talked whispering with each other.

* * *

'Why did you never tell us that your foster parents are cops?' Ivan asked Narah when they were standing at the balcony outside, overlooking the road, park and beach. Just a quiet night while Deeks and Kensi were avoiding each other inside. Narah glanced at her friend and saw some hurt in his eyes.

'Best not to be known as 'the kid with cops as parents' at our school or in our neighborhood,' she told him. 'And they are not cops...they are a Special Agent and a detective. Big difference if I have to believe them.' Ivan shrugged.

'Cops are cops,' he noted. 'They all throw people in jail and if the price is right, they let the guilty walk.' Narah sighed and looked at her hands. That was why she did not tell people that Deeks and Kensi were cops. At least not the people from her neighborhood.

'They are good people,' Narah assured him.

'So good that you go to Ice Cool to find your mom?' Ivan asked skeptically. 'That makes no sense, Narah...and I wished you trusted me enough to tell me and know me I would not judge.' She looked up at her friend, right into the eyes she had known for so long.

'I trust you like no one else,' she told him. 'You are my unrelated brother.' Ivan smiled and he wrapped him arm around her shoulder.

'And that is how it is, little sis,' he told her. 'Now explain to me why you are looking for your mom, after she just ditched you. Whenever we spoke about family, it was clear you hated her ass. Why look for her now? What changed?' Narah shrugged. It was hard to explain why she wanted back. So instead of answering she stared at the sea.

'Shall we build a boat and sail away?' she mumbled at Ivan. 'Just the two of us and we discover a new island...live there forever. Just you and me?' With a heavy heart she looked at her friend, who had the same sad smile as her.

'Sounds like a great plan,' he answered and he rested his head on hers. Together they kept watched the calm waves, thinking about their imaginary adventure out there. The big adventure that could be waiting for them.

* * *

Later that night, when most of the people in the apartment were asleep, Deeks walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. While drinking the water he looked into the window and in the reflection he saw Ivan sitting on the couch, all in the dark. Deeks switched on a light and Ivan jumped up, ready to flee.

'Sorry,' Deeks told him. 'It's just me...' Ivan took a deep breath and he sat down on the couch again. Deeks looked at the boy and the defeated way he sat. 'You know, you don't have to stay at home...there are solutions.' Ivan laughed bitterly.

'You mean foster homes?' he asked. 'Yeah...not planning on doing that. I just have to survive two more years and then I can be on my own.' Deeks walked over to the couch and sat down next to the teenager.

'Survive?' he asked. 'No one should say survive when they talk about their life at home. Home should be a safe place...and not all foster homes are bad.'

'They are for sixteen-year-old boys. And it's not that bad. Just sometimes...sometimes it's all a little too hard for my dad...he tries and mostly fails. What am I supposed to do? Leave him and make him feel more like a failure? Then my stepmom would be screwed. Bit harsh, don't you think?' Deeks nodded.

'Maybe...then know you can always come here when you need to.'

'Thanks.'

'But now tell me: what are your intentions with Narah? Are you in love with her?' Ivan looked up at Deeks like a deer in headlights.

'Narah and I are just friends, sir...best friends. I love her like an unrelated sister. I would never think about her that way! My intentions are good.' Deeks smiled at Ivan calling him sir. He should tell Sam about that. But not intending to show that to Ivan, he nodded with a serious face.

'Just know that if you just lied to me and hurt her...I will come after you and hurt you. I am a detective with a gun and my partner happens to be Kensi 'Badass' Blye. Understood?' Ivan slowly nodded and Deeks stood up. 'Okay, good night Ivan.' And with a little smirk on his face Deeks walked back to the bedroom.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

Chapter 18

Thank God for Mister Gardner's biology class, Narah thought relieved when she was sitting with her friends around a table and the teacher was more out than in the class.

'So how are you getting us into the precinct this time?' Ming asked with a playful smile on her face. 'I rather like one of those cops.' Narah laughed.

'I will not get you arrested again,' she assured her friends.

'But what about your mom?' Emily asked confused. 'You were really trying to find her...we went to some druggies' layer to see if the big drugs dealer could tell us where your mom was. People only do stupid things when there're desperate...especially you.' Narah raised her eyebrow at her friend, not knowing to be offended or not.

'What do you mean "especially me"?' It came out more forceful than she intended.

'Calm down, Nah,' Emily said quickly. 'I didn't mean it in a bad way...but more like...well because the gang is after you. You don't go much out on the streets these days...'

'Em is right,' Ivan joined in. 'Everyone here knows Ice Cool supplies Fratres Armis. We were lucky there were no members or that no one recognized the big snitch.' Narah looked angrily at Ivan.

'Don't call me a snitch!' she hissed at him. ''Cause I am not! I tried to protect everyone! Do you think I like being away from these streets? But I have to! And beside NCIS is not like the cops!'

'Wow, Nah, calm down girl!' Ming told her as she put hand on Narah's shoulder. 'No need to flip out.' Narah leaned back and crossed her arms, glancing angrily and hurt at her friends. Did they really see her as a snitch?

'Miss Monero, please try to participate actively in the group assignment,' Mister Gardner told her, choosing that exact moment to walk back into the room and check up on them.

'I will,' Narah smiled fakely and she grabbed the assignment papers. Mister Gardner nodded contently and walked away once again.

'Okay, what we meant was: what is the next step in finding your mom?' Ivan asked. Narah shrugged. She didn't know anymore. She didn't know if it was still worth trying to find her mother. Could there be a reason why she was so hard to find? Could it be a sign?

* * *

Deeks walked into the corridor after checking the perimeter of Lewis' house when he caught some of Kensi's conversation on the phone as he walked into the room.

'Okay, keep me update on your findings.' She ended the call quickly and looked at Deeks, who was standing in the door opening. He waited for her to say something and it seemed like she did the same.

'Oh, excuse me,' Xandra Lewis apologized as she moved passed Deeks. 'I just need to get my sun glasses quickly...oh and Cooper is in the garden if you're looking for him. He's going to meet Melissa.'

'He never said anything about that,' Deeks answered surprised. Xandra raised her eyebrows.

'Would you when you want a quiet moment with your girlfriend instead of a moment with your girlfriend and two Special Agents?' she asked him. 'So just let him.' Deeks and Kensi hurried to the garden, only to see Cooper get in the car and drive off. They ran to the car and followed him.

'Did Eric and Nell find anything?' Deeks asked Kensi.

'No, not yet,' she answered and Deeks had the feeling something was off. He wanted to continue asking Kensi when he noticed a dark SUV behind them without any plates.

'Kens, dark SUV, no plates,' Deeks reported to Kensi, who glanced in the rearview mirror and she sped up some more, closing in on Cooper's car. Deeks grabbed his phone and called Cooper.

'Cooper, there is a possible tail. I need you to turn right and just drive. If he follows, we know it's a tail.'

'Detective Deeks...it's just a car. I am meeting Meli...' Cooper's answer was cut short as Deeks and Kensi saw a car from the left ram into Cooper's car. Kensi had to brake and turn the car not to hit Cooper's mangled car. They both jumped out with their guns ready. A man tried to get out of the car that rammed Cooper's, but had the bad luck of crushing his door.

'NCIS, don't move,' Deeks ordered him with his gun pointed at the man's head. 'Hands on the wheel. How is Cooper, Kens?'

'Unconscious, I'm calling the EMTs,' she yelled at him. Deeks turned around to see if he could see the dark SUV, but it was gone.

* * *

'I freaking told you to protect my family!' Commander Lewis yelled angrily as he barged into the waiting room where Deeks and Kensi were sitting, waiting for news on Cooper. 'I told you that were after my son! You had to protect him and now he is in the hospital!'

'Honey, calm down,' Xandra said and she put her hand gently on her husband's shoulder but he shrugged it off, being too angry to be comforted.

'They called me freaking paranoid!' he yelled. 'I was making it all up! Now look what happened! Am I still paranoid?!'

'Commander Lewis...' Deeks tried but he was interrupted by a man in scrubs walking into the waiting room.

'Family of Cooper Lewis?' Commander Lewis' facial expression immediately softened and he turned to the doctor, with his wife at his side.

'I'm Commander Lewis, his father,' he said. 'How is my son? Can I see him?'

'I'm doctor Parker and I have treated your son at his arrival ,' the doctor started. 'Your son was very lucky that the agents were near; it could have been a lot worse. He broke his arm and has a severe concussion, but it should heal by itself with the proper amount of rest...And of course you can see him, but start with two at the time.' The commander nodded and with his wife he followed the doctor to their son. Callen and Sam, who had arrived alongside the Commander and his wife, stepped towards Deeks and Kensi who were sitting defeated in the chairs.

'What happened?' Sam wanted to know.

'I noticed a car behind us and when we gave Cooper instructions to shake off the tail...he was suddenly rammed by another car from the left,' Deeks explained.

'The tail was probably a distraction,' Kensi added. 'It was a bit strange that they would use a dark SUV without plates to tail Cooper. It's too obvious for a tail car.' Callen and Sam nodded in agreement.

'Did the driver from the other car survived?' Callen asked.

'Kind of,' Deeks answered. 'That guy will be somewhere upstairs...or maybe he died on the way over...he was pretty bad.'

'And you two are okay?' Sam asked worried and Deeks and Kensi nodded.  
'Bit of a painful stop,' Deeks admitted. 'But otherwise fine.'

'Yeah, but then again you are a bit sensitive,' Kensi couldn't help to remark and Deeks smiled.

'But you know you love that,' he replied and he gave her a little nudge.

'Oh yeah, you two are fine,' Sam laughed.

'You want to go home and have the evening off?' Callen asked them.

'No, we're really fine,' Kensi answered. 'Beside, we now know the threat was real so we need to find the people behind this before someone really gets killed.'

'Okay, but then you can start by finding out how things are with the driver from the other car,' Callen told them. 'See if he's alive and awake yet...for now it's probably best to keep you two away from the Commander till Cooper is out of the hospital.'

* * *

'Okay, I understand...don't worry about it. Of course she can stay here.'

Narah sighed as she listened in on Julia's conversation over the phone with probably Kensi. It seemed like she was staying the night with Julia, in her fancy house. Narah pushed her homework out of the way, no longer feeling like making it, and walked out of the room. She had better things to do than listening to Julia babbling with Kensi about how was it was absolutely no problem that Narah stayed with her. But no one thought about asking her. She would be fine staying at Deeks' apartment. She would have Monty to protect her and the number of Ops on speed dial. It would be nothing like the night at Kensi's place. That man would not return. A little shiver went down the girl's spine as she thought back to that terrifying night. She still hadn't returned to Kensi's place, afraid of what could have happened. But at Deeks' apartment she would be safe. The gang had forgotten about her. They left her alone. There was no longer a threat.

'Hey Narah,' Julia said as she entered the study where Narah had ended up walking lost in her thoughts. 'Deeks and Kensi are caught up with their case, there for you are staying here for the night, okay?'

'Will you bring me home when I tell you it's not okay?' Narah asked and Julia took a breath.

'No, I would not.'

'Then why bother asking me?'

'You're right...' Narah looked up at Julia, who was nodding. 'So Narah, let's put it this way: you are staying here for the night. I will make the guest room ready now, so if you follow me, you can see where you sleep tonight.' Narah sighed and reluctantly she followed Julia upstairs. In the guest room, she couldn't help letting her mouth fall open with amazement.

'This room is freaking big!' she exclaimed. 'My friends will never believe that I slept in a freaking ballroom!' As she turned around, she saw Julia smiling at her.

'What?' she asked and Julia shrugged, walking slowly towards her.

'It's nice to see you so enthusiastic,' she explained. 'Never really saw you like this.' Narah shrugged this time.

'Not really much to be so enthusiastic about when you're in protection because a gang probably wants to kill you for talking.'

'True,' Julia nodded. 'Well, I have extra blankets in case you get cold and some pillows if you need them.' She walked over to a closet and opened it, revealing a big flat screen. 'You can watch some TV if you want to...and I will check on you later.' She handed the remote to Narah, who immediately let herself fall on the bed.

'No need to check on me,' the girl managed to say. 'I'm not planning on moving.' The woman smiled.

'I promised Kensi I would,' she replied. 'Oh, there are some clothes in the closet...like some sleepwear and some toiletries in the bathroom. Just grab what you need.' Narah nodded while she zapped past the many channels.

* * *

Kensi had asked Callen if she could leave for just two hours and as she had guessed, he said yes. She did notice the questioning look in his eyes while she asked. But she could not explain. Just not yet. She looked at the address that was on her screen. She had looked at the address so many times, she could dream it now. It was like the house was staring at her and Kensi glanced at it one more time, doubting if she should go. The house itself showed nothing to be afraid of, but the idea of it scared Kensi. She was not ready to face all of this. She took a deep breath, knowing it was something she had to do. So Kensi laid her phone on the passenger seat and stepped out of the car. An older lady passing by smiled politely at her, like she was telling Kensi there was nothing to worry about. Slowly Kensi walked toward the big brown door and suddenly she wished Deeks was by her side. He would know a way to make this less nerve wrecking with one of his jokes or stories. But he was not here. He was at the hospital and Kensi was on her own. She lifted her hand and knocked on the door. A young woman opened the door with a big smile on her face, but it disappeared as she saw Kensi.

'Alice Monero?' Kensi asked the woman and the woman looked suspiciously at Kensi. Then she nodded.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. 
> 
> Sorry for the short chapter but I hope you can still enjoy it!

_Chapter 19_

Even with over a hundred channels, Narah couldn't find one she liked so she turned off the TV and she just let herself fall on the bed, staring at the ceiling. To let her thoughts go freely. And as they went freely, they went to places they hadn't gone in a long time. They wandered to William, the brave firefighter. She wished she could remember more about him. She barely knew whether his eyes were blue or grey. She had just one thing left from him. William Monero, her dad. If he could only be here right now. He would pick her up and give her the hug that would make her feel so safe. Because that was how William Monero, the brave firefighter, was. But remembering her father, she also had to remember the other side. As she closed her eyes, she was brought back eight years in the time. In their dark and messy apartment. Her father was sleeping on the couch, the needle still in his arm. She had tried to wake him up, but this time he would stay asleep.

Narah's eyes flew open, wanting to escape the horrible memory. The pained look on her father's face as he lay there on the couch. But that was how he became: caring more about his drugs than his family. Narah grabbed her book out of her backpack.  _Lord of the Rings_. Read countless times. She brought it close to her nose and took in the smell of the book. She loved that it smelled a little like smoke. It was how her father, the brave firefighter, used to smell as he pulled her into a hug before she went to sleep. She opened the book on the first page to see the so familiar hand writing.

_Stay strong my beautiful little girl._

_Never forget that I will be forever close to you,_

_for you are my happiness_

_Love and a thousand kisses,_

_Daddy_

She gently went over the page and the writing, as if it was actually her father in those pages. Then she closed the book in a rush and threw it away from her. Why was she suddenly longing for her dead father? She knew better. He was forever gone. Narah swallowed away the tears that were rising up and grabbed her phone. Typing in the number blindly she waited till the other side picked up. She walked to the balcony to stand in the evening breeze as she heard the safe voice on the other side. She let herself slide down.

'Tell me a story,' she whispered to him like she had done countless time before. As he started to tell, he felt so incredibly close and Narah felt incredibly small. Tears were flowing freely over her face.

* * *

'Why are you here?' Alice asked Kensi, as she glanced at her, her eyes resting on her badge. 'Did something happen?' Kensi shook her head and had to think about what to say. She had it all in her head when she was on her way here, but now she was standing in front of the woman, she had no more words.

'Why are you here?' Alice asked more urging.

'I'm here because of Narah...your daughter.' Alice's color disappeared from her face and she looked in shock. She glanced past Kensi to the street.

'What is with Narah?' she asked. 'I haven't seen Narah in a long time...I wouldn't know...'

'I am here on her behalf.'

'Then I am sorry, officer. I cannot help you...' Alice clearly wanted to leave the subject alone and she was ready the close the door but Kensi stepped into the door opening. Now that she was here, she wasn't giving up just like that. She wasn't giving up that easily. Not for Narah.

'She is looking for answers,' she told the woman who was Narah's mother. 'She is looking for you!' Alice shifted uncomfortably and shook her head saddened.

'I do not want to see her,' she replied. 'I didn't go without a reason. And now I want you to leave.' She gestured to close the door again but Kensi stood put.

'I am not going before I know why,' she said. 'Narah is desperate to find you for some reason. She  _wants_  to see you...speak to you. I don't want to disappoint her!' Alice shrugged with a bitter smile.

'Then you're lucky: I will be the one to disappoint her.'

'Why would you not want to see your own daughter? It has been seven years. She became a beautiful girl...'

'That is what I fear; that I won't be able to see that beauty in her. All I will see in her is death. I cannot be the mother you want me to be! I do not want to see her!' Kensi swallowed down the anger that was rising in her. Alice pushed Kensi some more towards the door. 'I want you to go before...'

'Hey, Honey,' a man greeted smiling and he stepped past Kensi to kiss Alice on her cheek. 'Who is your friend?' Kensi's eyes were on the little boy in the man's arms, drooling all over the man's shoulder.

'Umm, this is just a friend and she was just leaving,' Alice answered the man with a faint smile. She guided Kensi into the garden. When they were out of hearing reach - and Alice checked several times - she faced Kensi. 'You see; Narah can't be my daughter. Even if he knew all about her and that life...I do not want her as my daughter!' Kensi shook her head angrily and handed Alice a note.

'You better show up there,' Kensi warned her. 'Or Narah will show up here. She is so close to finding you. So if you want to keep her a secret...'

* * *

'Hey,' Deeks greeted smiling as Kensi came back to the hospital with coffee for everyone. 'Where were you?' Kensi shrugged at him and handed him a coffee.

'Nowhere really,' she lied to him, not ready to tell him. 'I just needed to walk for awhile...get some coffee since it will probably a long night for us.' Deeks nodded and he glanced at the room where the driver was staying.

'He is still lying in his bed, whining about his pain,' he told her. 'Even though he is heavily dosed with morphine. So obviously he is faking just to get away from our questions because the doctor doesn't let us inside until he feels better.' Kensi sighed and took a sip from her coffee.

'What about Cooper?' she asked.

'Cooper is okay,' Deeks answered. 'Already complaining about having to stay inside and he really wants to see his girlfriend...which I can understand.' He looked up at her and Kensi smiled weakly at him. He extended his hand and when she grabbed it, he guided her next to him. As she rested her head on his shoulder, they both sighed.

'You two should get home,' Callen told them as he walked in on them sitting there, probably looking as exhausted as they felt. 'And there is no point arguing right now. Cooper has to stay here for a couple more nights and so will his parents. Sam and I can take over for now. Go home, get some sleep and come back fresh tomorrow.' Kensi didn't even have the power to argue. All she was thinking about was whether to call her mother and announce their arrival or not.

* * *

The pain his neck seemed to have gotten worse as Deeks arrived at his apartment and was greeted by Monty. On automatic pilot he patted the dog and gave it food. For himself he warmed up some of the leftover, which he enjoyed on the couch with Monty by his side. Kensi hadn't said much after she left just to go walk, which frankly he knew was a lie. She had silently let him drive her to her home and had gone inside without saying a word. He wondered where she had gone to, and why she wouldn't tell him.

It was like they were slowly going away from each other. Not understanding each other anymore. Not sharing the same thoughts on subjects. It was just not like it was before. Everything about their relationship had turned so serious in so little time. Of course that is what raising a troubled teenager does with your relationship...with your life. But it might go too quickly for Deeks. He felt like he had to take a step back. Let it stay as it was right now. He didn't share Kensi's need to adopt Narah and he worried if she wanted to adopt the girl for the right reasons.

And Narah worried him as well. He never felt her pulling away so strongly, but the last couple of days, it was so strong. Even when she had them, she went looking for her mother. A mother she didn't want to speak about or ever wanted to see again. It made him wonder if he and Kensi had done it all wrong. If they were good enough for her. Everyone told them they were a great thing to happen for Narah. But were they truly, if Narah seemed so desperate to get away from them?


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. 
> 
> Okay, difficult chapter to write so it might (probably) suck.

_Chapter 20_

Deeks and Kensi arrived at the same time at Julia's house, both wanting to see Narah that morning. And as always Julia greeted them warmly and walked with them to the kitchen where Narah was eating the last of her breakfast.

'Good morning,' Kensi greeted the girl and she sat down next to her. 'Did you have a good night sleep?' Narah shrugged and continued eating her breakfast, keeping her mouth full at all time. Simply to avoid having to speak.

'Would you two like some coffee?' Julia asked friendly. 'It looks like you had a long night.' Deeks and Kensi gladly accepted the offer and Julia immediately started on the coffee. While the coffee machine was doing its work, Julia looked at Deeks and Kensi. 'How is the case going? Will today be another long day?'

'Umm, I don't think so,' Deeks answered. 'Depending on how it goes. But we will probably be home tonight. Maybe that would be best. Julia nodded and handed them their coffee.

'Of course,' she said, 'but she is always welcome to stay another night.'

'I want to go home!' Narah joined the conversation and she glanced apologetically at Julia. 'No offense...'

'None taken,' Julia smiled. 'I can understand that you would like to sleep in your own bed instead of a guest room bed.'

'Well, that bed is as much my own as the bed upstairs,' Narah commented bitterly. 'But can we go? Ivan asked me to come to school a little earlier...' She already had gotten up from her seat and looked hopefully at Deeks and Kensi.

'We can go,' Deeks answered and Narah placed her empty cereal bowl in the sink. As Deeks and Kensi left the kitchen, Kensi turned to her mother.

'Everything went okay last night?' she asked worried and Julia put her hand comforting on Kensi's arm.

'Everything went fine last night,' she assured her. 'But things between you and Marty don't seem as they should be...' Kensi sighed and Julia nodded. That sigh had been enough information for her to understand.

'I have to go,' Kensi mumbled, glancing at her watch. 'Narah has to go to school...and we have to go...to work...thanks for letting her stay.'

'Of course, sweetie,' Julia told her and she rubbed Kensi's arm. 'She is always welcome. Narah is a good girl.' Kensi nodded and was on her way out of the kitchen when she turned around.

'Could you take her to Deeks' place this afternoon?' Julia looked confused at her daughter, but instead of questioning it, she nodded.

* * *

Lying on the roof with his strong arms around her was the best feeling she could have these days and she snuggled a little closer to him. Her head rested on his chest and she could hear his steady heartbeat. It felt so incredibly safe and it was almost a shame to speak. Missing class was worth of this moment.

'Feeling better, Nah?' he whispered in her ear and she nodded against his chest.

'Always with you,' she told him softly.

'Good,' he smiled. 'Now tell me more about why you called me last evening asking for one of my famous stories. It had been a long time since I had to tell you one.' She shrugged.

'They are simply the best...and they were what I needed at that moment. Something old and familiar...I hope you didn't get in trouble for it...'

'You never get me in trouble.' Both started to laugh.

'I only got us arrested while looking for my mother.'

'Maybe true...but it was like old times, Nah. One to add to our big adventures of the neighborhood...like trying to skip homework hours under the watchful eye of M.'

'Oh, he always knew what we were up to.' She felt him laugh against her cheek.

'That was probably because we were always arguing very loudly about the best way to escape...maybe a little too loudly...'

'Miss Monero and Mister Oláh, as far as I know this does not qualify as chemistry class,' Principle Plumford told them strictly as he suddenly appeared on the roof of the school. 'Adding to that: the roof is a restricted area. No students allowed.' Narah and Ivan laughed as they got up and brushed off the dirt.

'Like I said: you never get us in trouble,' he smiled and he threw his arm over her shoulder. Principle Plumford was not amused and guided them to the stairs.

'Doesn't matter who got you here,' he said. 'All that matters is you two on cleaning duty for the cafeteria for two weeks.' Narah and Ivan both looked with a sour expression at their principle and the man smiled. 'Be glad I won't call your parents this time.'

* * *

Cooper was allowed to go home after the observation night in the hospital so the team was standing in Lewis' living room with the family to go over the protection detail. Being in the same room as the Commander it meant that Deeks and Kensi could not escape the blaming glares he was sending at them.

'So how many agents will be around the house?' Commander Lewis interrupted Callen.

'We will have four agents outside,' Callen continued his story and he pointed on the map the positions of the agents. 'Four agents are on the protection detail of your wife and son...'

'I hope Blye and Deeks are staying far away from my son,' the commander interrupted once again. 'I would like to keep my son alive...'

'Dad!' Cooper exclaimed. 'Stop this childish blaming game. If Deeks and Kensi weren't with me at the scene...I could have been kidnapped...or worst been killed. If you so desperately need to blame someone, blame me! I did not believe you. I went to see Melissa without telling them. I could have made it so much worse for myself. If someone will be watching me...all day long, I want it to be Deeks and Kensi.' Cooper tried to cross his arms stubbornly to emphasize his statement, but it was impossible due to his broken arm. But Commander Lewis understood and sighed, giving in.

'Thank you,' Deeks smiled weakly at Cooper and the boy smiled at him and Kensi.

'Hey, better to have the ones who saved my life than two newbies,' he joked. 'I just hope you are ready for a boring couple of days of being stuck in this house...as I will be chained to the bed by my parents.'

'It wouldn't be that bad, boy,' Xandra told her son. 'Maybe you should get some sleep...these protection details aren't so interesting for a boy like you.' Cooper gave in to his mother's pressing request and with Deeks and Kensi by his side he headed upstairs. As he was getting comfortable in his bed, he pointed back and forth between Deeks and Kensi.

'Did something happen between you two?' he asked with a raised eyebrow. 'Even me and my ex - on whom I kind of cheated - glanced with more love at each other. Someone could freeze if they would stand between you two...are you blaming each other for the accident?'

'It's nothing,' Deeks answered with a fake smile. 'You should get some sleep like your mother said.' Cooper shrugged, clearly not believing Deeks' answer but Deeks wasn't planning on sharing it all with a twenty-year-old boy. He glanced over to Kensi to see her reaction, only to see her back. But even though he couldn't see her face, her posture looked saddened.

* * *

Narah laid her book down sighing. These mandatory readings should be banished at schools. They should leave the choice up to the students. This book was simply unreadable. She skipped a few pages to see if it would get any better and even, with some very little lasting hope, she tried the ending but it just didn't make any sense at all. So she put the book away, giving up on the stupid thing. She would google for a summary and if possible watch the movie. Just as she left the table, the doorbell rang. She glanced out of the window to catch a glimpse of the person, but he or she was not visible from the window. As the doorbell rang again, more impatient this time, Narah opened the door and gasped. Same hair, same eyes, same nose and same mouth as she remembered. The features she had dreamed about so many times. She felt herself losing control over her body as it began to shake violently. Alice gave her an uncomfortable and careful smile with tears welling in her eyes.

'Hello Narah,' she managed to speak and Narah just stared at the woman in front of her. She managed to raise her hand to wave. She could have done so much and she had chosen to wave. But this was not a normal situation. She was standing in front of the woman who was supposed to love her unconditionally but who had chosen to abandon her...leave her all alone...sitting on those stairs...waiting. Slowly Narah started to realize she was shaking her head and as she looked up, she saw the confused and questioning look of Alice.

'I want you to leave,' Narah told her once mother mumbling. Alice seemed shocked and she tried to speak, but Narah didn't want to hear the excuses, the heartbreaking stories. 'I want you to GO!' Alice literally jumped from Narah's outburst and stumbled back. Narah slammed the door close and ran to her room, falling crying onto her bed.

* * *

'Important text?' Cooper asked curiously and he got a slap from Melissa. 'Hey, girl, I am wounded...you should wait a little longer with the spanking.' Deeks smiled at the boy's remark and he turned to Kensi, who was indeed staring at her phone.

'I'm sorry,' Melissa apologized for her boyfriend. 'Cooper is simply a childish prick when he's on painkillers...' Kensi looked up and smiled. Her phone went back in her pocket.

'It's okay,' she said. 'I'm used to childish.' She glanced at Deeks. 'Be glad it's only when he's on painkillers.' Melissa smiled and turned her attention back to Cooper. Deeks followed Kensi when she walked out of the room.

'What was that?' he asked. 'Who texted you? Or who are you expecting to text?'

'Why would you want to know that?' Kensi asked him irritated. 'Are you checking up on me?'

'Well, you have acted a little...a little strange lately. You left for a long walk and now these texts...Is there something I should know?' Kensi took a step towards him. If he would lift his hand just a little he would be touching her. Her breath tickled in his neck. He was actually a little frightened having her standing so close. But in her eyes he saw doubt. Doubt if she should tell him. Whether to lie or to tell the truth.

'Everything okay, Deeks, Kensi?' Callen asked as he walked passed them and they both took a step back.

'We're fine,' Kensi told him and she turned around, back to the room.  _We're fine_...so we're not, Deeks thought and he let out a sigh.

* * *

A soft and caring hand touched her head and the touch made Narah feel even more alone in that moment. She had just slammed the door into her mother's face. The woman she had been looking for. The woman who could give her some of the answers she needed. The one who could give her some hope. But seeing her was nothing like Narah had expected or dreamed about.

'I want to be alone,' she growled into her pillow.

'Even when I have come to bring you some ice cream?' Narah was surprised to hear Julia's voice. She glanced up from her tear-stained pillow and saw Julia sitting calmly and gracefully on the bed with two bowls in her hands. 'It's chocolate, your favorite.' She handed Narah one of the bowls and Narah just stared at the woman like she was a stranger who just walked into her bedroom offering ice cream. She had totally forgotten Julia had brought her to Deeks' place or that she had stayed. That she had seen Narah's outburst to her mother. Suddenly Narah felt ashamed and she adverted her eyes. Glued them onto her bowl of slowly melting chocolate ice cream.

'Quite a day, wasn't it?' Julia asked casually like it was a day like all the other days and she ate some of her ice cream.

'Did you know she was coming?' Narah wanted - needed - to know and Julia shook her head slowly.

'All I was asked was to bring you here after school. I didn't ask for a reason. I simply assumed Kensi had her reasons...which she indeed had.' Narah slowly nodded and stirred her ice cream around for awhile, looking for words.

'Why would she do that?' she mumbled just before she took her first spoon of ice cream.

'Kensi just want the best fo...' Julia started to explain her daughter's actions but Narah shook her head slowly.

'Why would she come back after seven years?' she asked with a small voice and the tears were again fighting for their way out. Julia took a deep breath.

'Sometimes something happened which a person cannot deal with...so she left to find her way. But now...now that she found her way...she probably wants to know what had become of her daughter...how her little girl turned out...'

'Was it like that for you? When you saw Kensi again?' The woman looked down, at her hands.

'Seeing her again...it broke my heart. We reconnected after a difficult and emotional case for her...her father's case...and it broke my heart to see my little girl so broken and defeated. She was always such a strong girl - and she still is - but that moment she was broken...and I felt it was partly my fault. I left her...I didn't come for her when her father died...I should have...Now we're trying to get back to how it once was. It's hard and it will probably never be the same...but we still try. I felt sorry for leaving her every day, which is probably how your mother feels as well...it might be the reason she showed up here...' Narah swallowed her tears away. She did not want to cry anymore. She had cried enough for her mother. But maybe...maybe she should have given her mother at least a chance. A chance to explain. Only it was too late for that now.

'It's never too late,' Julia said softly and Narah realized she had spoken those last words out loud. Her lip began to tremble and as she could no longer fight the tears, Julia took her in her arms.

* * *

'Why are you so anxious to get home?' Deeks asked irritated when Kensi told him to go faster for the twentieth time. 'What is waiting for us at home that is so important, beside food and our bed?'

'Well Narah and my mom are there...' Kensi started and Deeks nodded.

'Yeah, like they normally are when we go home...why did you even tell Julia to bring Narah to my place? What was wrong with Narah going to your mother's house?' Kensi threw a worried glance at Deeks, who was paying attention to the road. He sounded so agitated, like a volcano ready to burst. She took a deep breath, wanting to prolong having to tell him the truth.

'I might have gone to Alice house and told her to come to your place,' she blurred out worried and she watched him carefully and worried for a reaction. He remained silent and calm while he drove of the street to park the car. Once the car stood still, he turned to her.

'You did what?' he asked her shocked and Kensi glanced guilty at him.

'I might...'

'I heard you!' he shouted, stopping her abruptly from speaking. 'I was simply expressing my shock! Why would you do that? And why wouldn't you include me into this?! This concerns me as well! Narah is also my responsibility! We take care of her together! Not just you!'

'You say that now but all the other things you said are different from this,' Kensi told him bitterly.

'That has nothing to do with this right now!'

'It has everything to do with this!' Kensi replied angrily and she turned her face away from her. 'Can we please just go home and fight about it there instead of in the car at the side of the road?' Deeks said nothing but he did start the motor. In deadly silence and avoiding glances he drove them home.

* * *

Deeks didn't even wait for Kensi to get out of the car before he headed upstairs. She hurried after him, where she was met by her mother, who didn't look content at all.

'Do you have any idea in what kind of difficult position you have put me?' she told her daughter immediately. 'You could at least have warned me...warn Narah...'

'Mom...please...'

'No, Kensi,' Julia interrupted bluntly. 'You didn't see the look on the poor girl when she opened the door and saw her mother standing in front of her. You didn't see how badly she was shaking! This was wrong of you...' Kensi looked away from her mother, not wanting to hear it. But as she looked away, she looked directly at Deeks and his look was everything she never wanted to see. He had never looked at her like that, so angry...

'I'm going to see Narah,' he told her and he walked passed her. Kensi wanted to follow him but he stopped her. 'Maybe it's better you...you just stay here...' Tears welled up in her eyes. Was he telling her not to go and see Narah? Julia put her hands on her shoulders.

'Come sit down,' she urged Kensi. 'It has been a long day.' She let Kensi to the couch and together they waited till Deeks came walking out of Narah's room, closing the door gently behind him.

'She is sleeping,' he said curtly. Kensi got up from the couch and walked over to Deeks, but he stepped away from her, putting his hands up.

'Not now, Kensi...not after this!' His voice was shaking with anger. 'You made a big mistake today and the one you hurt is supposed to be the one you care about the most. Narah is a wreck and this time it's  _your_  fault. I think you should go!' Kensi opened her mouth to object but closed it again as she couldn't find the words to speak. He wanted her to leave? She was supposed to leave after this?

'Wh...what?' Kensi stumbled.

Deeks looked her right into her eyes and his gaze sent a shiver down her spine. 'I think it's best for Narah if she didn't have to see you right now...leave the choice with her...'

Julia stepped behind Kensi, grabbing her arm.

'Come, Kensi, I will bring you home,' she said. 'Let's give Narah some space...and Marty as well...before one of you makes an irreversible mistake.' Kensi looked one more time at Deeks, who looked so angry and hurt, and she thought about her teenage girl sleeping in the bedroom. So she nodded.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 21_

Kensi lay down in the bed of her mother's guest room. The same room where Narah had slept the night before. And it hurt Kensi just to think about Narah. From the look on Deeks' face, Kensi knew Narah was most definitely not okay. And it was her fault. She had tried to do the right thing, only ending up doing the wrong thing. She had promised to keep Narah safe and she failed doing exactly that. She didn't even try to stop the tears from flowing freely. She did not turn her head when the door opened. The mattress went down a little as Julia sat down.

'It will get better,' Julia told her softly. 'Giving Narah some space was the right thing to do. Wait for her to come.' Kensi couldn't hold a sob back as she feared that Narah would never come. 'Most of her anger is towards her mother. Not towards you, Kensi.' She gently stroked Kensi's hair. 'You know that's it's hard to see your mother after such a long time.'

'I messed up,' Kensi cried. 'I hurt Narah...what kind of parent am I when I do such a thing?' Julia moved onto the bed so that she sat next to Kensi and she kept stroking her hair.

'That makes you a caring parent,' she told her daughter. 'You knew Narah wanted to see her mother and you gave her her mother...not knowing...realizing the feelings Narah had for her mother...It's not easy for Narah. She's angry, sad and confused all at once. Alice left a couple of months after her father died. Within a year Narah was all on her own. No more family or home...that is scary for a child...' Kensi turned around to face her mother.

'She told you this?' she asked and Julia nodded. The answer made Kensi feel even worse. She and Deeks had always avoided talking about family around Narah. Simply because they did not know how to handle that subject. 'We only made it worse...'

'You and Marty were thrown into the parenting of a teenager. Of course you two weren't perfect at it. Especially when feelings are a difficult subject in general.'

'We made her keep it all inside...never asked her if she wanted to talk about it...' Julia looked down at Kensi and Kensi calmed a little at the sight of her mother's calm eyes.

'Narah isn't exactly the girl to speak about her feelings,' Julia told her. 'She might not even have talked if you had asked her.'

'No...but instead of trying I sent the source of all the problems to see her,' Kensi said. 'And now she is hurt because of  _me_.' Julia bent down and kissed Kensi on top her head. As she rose again, she said nothing. All she did was stroking Kensi's hair and soon Kensi's eyes became heavy.

* * *

Deeks sat in the chair in the guest room, watching how Narah was sleeping restlessly in her bed. Monty was lying at her feet, as her trusted guard. Deeks wanted to stay there. Be there when Narah would need him. She had been already been through so much and she could no longer stay the strong one, the unbreakable one. This could be one event too much. This could be her breaking point. And he had no clue about what he could do for her. So he sat here in the room with her, waiting for her to wake up and telling him what he could do. Until that happened, he had to be useless and had to let his thoughts run freely through his head.

He could not believe how Kensi had acted. It surprised and hurt him the most that she has done it on her own. Left him out of all of it. Because she thought he did not care for Narah. Only because he was not ready. That hurt him the most. There wasn't anything in the world he wouldn't give to keep Narah safe, to make her happy. He would do everything for that girl.

When Narah began to toss around, Deeks got up and walked over to the bed. All he wanted to do was make it better. So he climbed in the bed and took Narah in his arms. Remembering how a loving hold could make all the hurt disappear and make it all better. As he held her in his arms, she calmed again and soon she was breathing evenly and calmly.

Standing in the kitchen waiting for the coffee to be made after a night of hardly any sleep, Deeks sighed. He was glad Narah was able to sleep through the night but he feared for the emotional state she would wake up in. His phone vibrated and again it was Kensi. She had been calling every five minutes since half an hour again. It had actually woken him up. No longer wanting to hear the vibrating he wanted to turn to phone off, but for some reason he picked up instead.

'Deeks...' She sounded surprised he had picked up in the end. He listened to her breathing on the other side, both seeming to wait for the other to speak. 'How is Narah?' From those three little words he heard the tiredness and sadness in her voice. But he felt the anger inside of him rise again.

'She is still sleeping. Still exhausted from Alice's surprise visit...'

'Deeks...please...I knew it was a mistake asking her to come...but I did it in Narah's best interest...I wanted to help her...'

'But you clearly didn't! You did anything but help her! You might as well have kicked her in her stomach...it would have probably hurt so much less! So yes Kensi, you did make a big mistake and it's up to Narah to forgive you!'

'And you did nothing wrong at all? You're innocent in all of this?! You can't simply blame me for all that is happening to Narah! She feels abandoned! Alone!'

'Kensi, stop going there all the time:  _I do not want to adopt Narah_! Do you truly want to adopt her because it's the best for her...or because it's the best for you?'

'What do you mean...I want to adopt her because I want...'

'No, Kensi, you were afraid of losing her, now that she was looking for her mother. And you could not stand the thought of losing someone else, so you planned in your head that the only way of keeping Narah was to adopt her! All you are is afraid of being alone again!' Deeks heard Kensi gasp and when she spoke, her voice was shaking.

'I love Narah...that is why I want to adopt Narah. Not because I am afraid of losing her. I do not want to lose her...I will not abandon her. She has you for that!' Deeks took a few deep breaths in and out to prevent him throwing his phone around.

'It's better you do not show up today!'

'I want to be there for Narah...I need to be...'

'I do not care about what  _you_  need! You are not what matters right now.  _You_ should be thinking about our foster daughter who is devastated by her mother's visit! She is hurt so right now it's all about what  _Narah needs_!' With those words he lowered his phone, hearing to the words Kensi was screaming through the phone, and he hung up. He slammed his phone on the kitchen counter and just leaned on the counter, taking deep breaths in and out to calm himself.

* * *

Narah was biting on her nail as she walked back and forth in front of her school. It was still very early. She was there even before Principle Pumford. She had never been so early at school. But she needed to get out of the house. Her mother had suddenly showed up, Kensi had left her and Deeks did not want her...once again her life was falling apart and what she hated the most was how affected she was by it all. She had lowered those walls just a little too much. As she sat down on the steps, she looked at the bag beside her, filled with all that she needed. Once again she was on her own and this time the streets scared her. They gave her no safety this time.

'Narah?' Principle Pumford asked confused as he showed up to begin his workday. 'You were the last one I would expect to be here so early. Is there something wrong?' Narah took a deep breath to put her mask and the walls back up and she smiled at the man.

'Nothing wrong, sir,' she told him. 'My foster parents just had to leave early for work so they dropped me off early.' Principle Pumford didn't seem to believe her but he opened the doors for her.

'You want some tea?' he asked walking to the teacher's lounge and Narah shrugged.

'Is there anything I can do you for you?' she asked him. 'Like doing the dishes? Put letters in envelopes? Sorting papers on color?' Anything that could take her mind of everything. To erase yesterday from her memories. Principle Pumford stared at her for what felt like forever before shaking his head.

'I'm sorry, Narah,' he said. 'Cleaners came by yesterday, there are no letters being sent and we do not sort our paper on color...but I can put you in a classroom so that you could maybe do some homework?' Narah shrugged. It was better than nothing. She still had the book to read. But being inside an empty classroom gave her thoughts all the freedom to go crazy. 'Alone' was going through her mind the entire time. With every word from the book she seemed to be reminded. At least she now knew what the book was about: abandonment.

* * *

'Kensi, you know Marty can't keep you from seeing Narah,' Julia told Kensi, as she saw her daughter sitting on the couch and only staring at the white empty wall. Kensi shook her head at her mother's words.

'He thinks it's best I stay away from her...' she said. 'And I did cause all of this mess...so he is right. I should stay away from her.' Julia sighed and stepped in front of her, looking down on her.

'You're doing what Narah thinks you would do,' Julia said. 'You are abandoning her. Okay, maybe you made a big mistake that hurt her...but it's her mother who hurt her the most. You need to show Narah you won't leave...that you stay with her, no matter the mistakes that come along...' Julia's speech was cut short as the house phone started to ring. She stroked Kensi's head as she went to answer the phone.

'Julia Feldman?' Kensi watched the posture of Julia turning stressed. 'Missing?! Where is she?' As Julia turned around with a worried look on her face, Kensi knew something was wrong with Narah and she jumped up. She grabbed the phone from Julia's hands.

'What happened to her, Deeks?!'

'She left, Kensi...she's gone...I called the school and she was there...but never showed up for English. The principle thought she acted strange but decided to wait with the questions. When he wanted to check up on her...she was gone...'

'I am on my way!' Kensi walked to the hallway to grab her jacket when a person appeared in front of the door and Deeks' words stopped her.

'I'm already at your place.'

* * *

'Why didn't you check up on her? Even if she was asleep, you should have checked up on her! When was the last time you did that?!' Angry tension filled Julia's living room as Deeks and Kensi standing opposite of each other, both screaming at each other.

'It had only been an hour since the last time I checked up on her! I'm not stupid, Kensi! I know how to take care of her! I didn't hear a thing from the room, so I assumed that all was okay! Besides, I was on my way to check up on her!'

'Never assume, always check!' Kensi yelled. 'That is what we learn! And the one time you don't, you lose Narah!'

'Okay, stop it you two!' Julia shouted and she stepped between Deeks and Kensi, looking pissed off at both of them. 'You two fighting and blaming each other is not helping in finding Narah and finding her is the priority right now, right?' Deeks and Kensi nodded obediently. 'Good...then we agree and focus on that.' She faced to Deeks. 'What happened between the check-ups?'

'I made coffee, Kensi called, we fought...' he started to sum up.

'We yelled,' Kensi interrupted him and Deeks nodded irritated.

'Yes we did...anyways, I hung up and...'

'No Deeks...we yelled at each other!' Kensi said. 'You yelled you did not want to adopt her!' Deeks and Julia stared in shock at Kensi. 'I left and you yelled you did not want her to adopt her...we abandoned her...after we told her we would never to something like that.'

'We need to find her,' Deeks mumbling, realizing what huge mistake they had made.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 22_

'We tried to track Narah's phone but it's turned off,' Eric told Deeks and Kensi over the phone as they were driving through Narah's old neighborhood, just hoping to find her that way. 'We are looking on every camera to see if we catch a glimpse of her...but so far no luck yet.'

'Where would Narah go if she was feeling like she did?' Callen asked, who had come to Ops center. He and Sam just had the luck of being able to arrest the people behind the attack. LAPD and the FBI had taken over with interrogating each one of them. Deeks ran his hand through his hair and sighed.

'Her friends...' he answered, 'but Julia already went to Emily's and she wasn't there. She's now on her way to Ming...umm maybe her old apartment; she went there one time before. But she could be on the streets with her friends as well...'

'We found footage of Narah from about an hour ago!' Nell suddenly interrupted. 'She...umm...threw her phone in a trash bin after disabling it. Probably why we couldn't trace it. She threw it away in front of the school.'

'What if she ran into gang members?' Kensi asked worried. 'We don't have a way of finding her! What if she's in trouble?' Deeks took a deep breath and laid his hand on her knee.

'She's okay, Kensi,' he assured her and Kensi smiled weakly at him.

'Deeks, Kensi, we can go and ask her friend you told us about...Ivan and then contact LAPD,' Callen said over the phone, breaking their small connection.

'We will keep trying to locate her through the cameras,' Nell said.

'Thank you,' Kensi sighed. 'We will keep looking for her in the neighborhood. Keep us updated.' She hung up and Deeks parked the car.

'I think we can better continue on foot,' he told her. 'We can cover more ground like that with all the little alleys.' For a moment he thought she had not heard him but she nodded slowly before getting out of the car. They looked around to the empty streets.

* * *

All she saw were empty streets. There were no children outside. People had become afraid to let their children play on the streets, never knowing if a gang member would snatch them off the street. Narah brought her knees up and she hugged them. She felt alone in these streets. She felt the cold and no longer the warmth of the sun. She had not expected to sit here once again on her own. She had hoped never having to sit here again.

But her mother had left her, Kensi had left her and Deeks didn't want her. Why would she keep trying finding her place if there was no place for someone like her? She hated to feel tears rolling over her cheeks again. She did not want to cry. She wanted to hold her head up and look strong to the outside world. Don't look vulnerable was what her life had taught her, but she didn't live up to that lesson. So that she left like this was all her own fault. She became vulnerable by attaching to something that could end.

* * *

Kensi stopped in the middle of the street and Deeks turned around to see why she stopped. She was looking around with a defeated look on her face. As he saw her standing there he sighed and walked over to her.

'This is where we found her covered in the blood of those volunteers,' she mumbled at him. 'What if this time she will be covered in her own blood? Lying in some alley, all alone, dying...' Deeks grabbed her by her shoulders and made her look in his eyes.

'Kensi, we  _will_  find her and she will be perfectly fine,' he told her firmly. 'The only problem she will have is with us, for scaring the shit out of us. But she will be fine!' Kensi shook her head, fighting against the tears.

'She is just a girl!'

'Well she is a very strong girl. She survived the streets and lived with you for months. I just know she took over some of the bad-ass-ness you have inside of you.' His hands had moved up to her face, making it impossible for her to look away. 'Kensi, you will not lose her as well. I will make sure of that. I will do whatever it takes to get Narah back alive, you hear me?' Kensi slowly nodded and Deeks pulled her in a hug.

'I'm sorry, Deeks,' she whispered in his ear and he pulled away just a little. Tears were staining her cheeks but she couldn't look more beautiful. He felt his anger flow away the longer he looked at her. They did the things they did to make it better for Narah. All they had been thinking about was Narah. For both of them Narah was all that mattered.

'I'm sorry too,' he whispered and he gently kissed her lips. He felt her lips smile against his and he hugged her tighter. 'Let's find our girl.'

* * *

'I remember the first day you walked into this room,' Maltino said with a smile as he handed Narah a steaming cup of tea and he sat down opposite of her. 'I remember every first day...and in many cases the last day as well...but you were this sweet girl. Maybe a little scared.' He pointed at a table in a far corner. 'You sat at that table all day, not daring to move. Like you were waiting to be picked up again. You actually sat there for two days like that...until Ivan sat next to you...' Narah smiled and she glanced at the table for awhile. She remember how Ivan had walked over to her and sat down to just start telling one of his stories.

'It's unreal how quiet it is in here,' she said softly and she took a sip from the tea. 'It used to be always such a noisy place.'

'Yeah you would know,' Maltino laughed. 'You, Emily, Ivan, Tiny, Bouncer and Tasha made the most noise of all. Driving everyone crazy!'

'I did not,' Narah contradicted laughing, knowing much better. She glanced at the man who seemed to be enjoying his memory. 'What are you going to do, M?' He smiled hearing his nickname from the youth center.

'I want to open again, Narah...' he answered hesitantly. 'But I can't. The children won't be safe here...and that is what they need to be. So I don't know what I will do. Maybe...relocate the center...but then my children won't be able to visit here again. I will lose them. They can't travel much...so I wonder if there is anything I can do as long as the gangs are still out on those streets.' Seeming to realize what he just said, Maltino put his hand on Narah's. 'But you shouldn't worry about it. Concentrate on school...though a little bird told me you were already doing that.' Narah laughed.

'Still close friends to Principle Plumford?' she asked and Maltino nodded.

'Of course, how else would I get my knowledge about my children,' he answered and he sighed. 'But...I don't know about you...I think it's time to get something to eat. So I will go the kitchen to make us something. Are you okay staying here a little longer?' Narah nodded.

'After all the time I spent here, I will most definitely be fine staying here on my own a little longer,' she promised the man. Maltino smiled and he touched her shoulder as he passed her on his way out of the room. Narah watched him leave and she started to walk around the room. It was dark and it made it strange. Not familiar at all. She touched the coffee table between the couches. Two hundred thirty-seven names. All of children who had passed through this place one time. Two hundred thirty-seven people who lost their safe place.

* * *

'Have you seen this girl?' Kensi asked a store owner when she showed him a picture of Narah. 'Wavy brown hair, fifteen years old?'

'Yeah, I have seen her,' he answered. 'She used to come here every day...getting food...sometimes buying and sometimes stealing...one time she even tried to get liquor but that went to step too far...special girl...but I haven't seen her in a while. Wait, maybe William knows more. William!' Kensi turned around as she heard someone approaching her and when she saw the boy, she recognized him from the youth center case.

'Wow, I didn't do anything,' he told Kensi, recognizing her as well. 'I work here fair and square for the old guy!

'It's okay, William...or do you prefer Tiny?' The boy shrugged and got a warning glare of the store owner.

'Damn it, William! I told you no gang names!'

'Sorry to step in, but William, I need to know where Narah is,' Kensi interrupted and again William shrugged.

'I know squad about that,' he told her. 'Narah left this neighborhood and I never spoke to her again...probably thinks she's too good for us now.'

'Well, she is missing right now,' Kensi told him, a little pissed off by the way he spoke about Narah. 'So if you see her, tell her that we are looking for her.' William started to laugh.

'Oh damn woman, if Narah leaves a home, she leaves forever,' he smirked. 'If I were you, I would start looking for a new income!'

'William, words!' the storeowner warned angrily and Kensi walked out of the store, furious about what the boy had said.

* * *

'My mom didn't find her at Ming or Emily's place,' Kensi told Deeks as she hung up and she stared at her phone. They had been looking for three hours already and they were getting tired, worried and more frustrated. 'The girls didn't know anything about where Narah could be hanging out, as expected. No one betrays their friends.' She took a deep breath and glanced at Deeks. 'What are we going to do next?'

'Well, Callen and Sam talked to Ivan, who also doesn't want to talk about anything concerning Narah,' Deeks replied. 'And if anyone would know where she is, it would be Ivan. So Callen and Sam are staying a little longer talking to him...Damn it, Narah.' Kensi looked surprised at Deeks cursing as he ran a hand through his hair. Just as she wanted to comfort him, his phone started to ring and he answered it quickly.

'Marty Deeks? Oh hello mister Maltino...wait, what did you say? Hang on one second, I will put you on speaker.' Kensi stepped closer to hear what the man had to say. Standing side by side, they listened, anxiously.

'...you that Narah is here right now, at the youth center...it seems to me she walked away but she didn't want to tell me anything about it...so I thought something else was going on, therefore I called you...'

'Thank you for calling us, sir,' Deeks told the man gratefully. 'She is okay, right?'

'She is doing okay. I can let her stay here as long as she wants...no one else is using the rooms...but I thought you should have a choice in this as well, since you took care of her.' Kensi looked at Deeks.

'We are on our way,' she told the man and Deeks hung up.

'The car is not far...' he said but he saw Kensi already walking in opposite direction. 'Kensi! Where are you going?'

'I am going to get Narah,' she shouted at him. 'I don't need a car for that. The center is close by!' Deeks couldn't help to smile at her determination to find Narah and he jogged up to her. His nod made her smile as well and together they went to find their girl.

* * *

Mister Maltino walked towards Deeks and Kensi when they arrived at the youth center and he smiled friendly at them as he let them inside.

'I knew you were a different kind,' he told them and he pointed at the blue door in front of them. 'Narah is in there...I'll be in the living area when you need me.'

'Thank you,' Deeks said and he shook mister Maltino's hand. Then he glanced at Kensi and took her hand in his. This was the moment that they would see Narah's reaction to them. He felt Kensi's hand shaking in his, or it could be his own hand. Together they took the step forward and opened the door. They saw Narah standing next to the bed, staring directly at them with a shocked expression. He left Kensi's hand slowly slip out of his. Before he fully registered it, he saw Kensi running towards Narah and pulling the girl in a hug. The surprised and confused look on Narah's face told him a lot. She had not expected them. She was standing there with Kensi's arms around her and Kensi was holding her tight.

'Have you been crying?' he heard Narah ask Kensi confused.

'I was just really worried about you,' Kensi answered and he saw Narah's lip trembling. The girl leaned into Kensi's hug and as she did, she began to break down. Kensi became the one thing holding her standing. Deeks still stood in the door opening, watching his two girls hugging and crying. Suddenly he realized that they were all that mattered to him in this world. For them nothing would be too much. Hesitating he stepped closer to them. When he was standing next to them, and both of them glanced at him, he joined the hug. As he was holding at him, he felt Kensi looking at him so he looked up as well.

'Let's do this,' he told her. Kensi's face lit up through the tears and she kissed him full on the mouth.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 23_

'We will have to speak to her,' Kensi told Deeks when they were finally safely home with Narah again. They glanced at Narah who was sleeping soundly in her bed. Kensi leaned into Deeks, who was standing behind her and she felt safe again. Their girl in her bed and Deeks' arms around her.

'I know,' Deeks whispered. 'But right now, we let her sleep and stand watch in case she needs us. And we also have to speak about it.' Kensi nodded. That she knew and she was a little worried about it. The adoption had been the reason of their fight. The reason of the huge mess.

'What if...with this mess...Narah no longer wants us...' she voiced her worry.

'You should have seen her look when you were holding her and told her you were really worried about her. I don't think anyone had ever told her something like that before.' Kensi turned to face him.

'What made you change your mind?'

Deeks smiled at her and brushed a lost strand of hair behind her ear. 'Seeing you two standing there in the room...I knew that you two were that mattered. There is nothing is the world I loved as much and nothing in the world could make me so happy to have them close.'

'We make you happy?' Kensi asked him with a grin on her face.

'More than anything,' he answered her and he kissed her. They were interrupted by the ringing doorbell. Deeks quickly looked at Narah, hoping she wouldn't wake up, before hurrying to the door. Callen and Sam smiled at him when he opened the door. Behind them was Julia standing.

'Come inside,' he said, holding the door open further. Kensi came walking into the living room as well when their guests walked in.

'I will get some beers,' she announced, looking at Callen and Sam.

'How is she doing?' Callen asked, sounding a little worried.

'She hasn't really said much, but she did come home with us,' Deeks answered and he took the beer Kensi offered. 'So I guess that's a good sign...and thank you guys for helping to look for her. We really appreciate it.'

'Of course,' Sam smiled and he patted Deeks on his shoulder. 'Anything for that girl. She's a good one.'

* * *

The next morning Deeks and Kensi sat nervously at the table, trying to drink their coffee but not really getting to it. They were waiting for Narah to wake up. They had a lot to talk about and not only with Narah. Unfortunately talking wasn't their strongest point.

'So...' Deeks said and he raised his eyebrows. Kensi raised hers as well and sighed.

'So...'

'This is too awkward,' he then said. 'How can we joke around but not speak when it comes to the serious stuff? We need to discuss our plans. We can't just jump into it. Preparation is important.'

'Says the guy who laughed when I gave you, Callen and Sam survival packages for an earthquake,' Kensi smiled before she realized what she was doing. 'Sorry...' Deeks smiled at her and took her hand.

'Just something we have to learn,' he told her. He let go of her hand when the door to Narah's room opened and the sleepy looking teenager stepped out of the room. One moment he thought to get up and do something else, just so it didn't look like they were waiting, but he stayed seated. Narah walked past them, not speaking a word.

'Did you sleep well?' Kensi asked and Narah shrugged while she filled a bowl with cornflakes. 'Something wrong, Narah?'

'No, all is perfect, right?' she answered bitterly and she wanted to walk back to her room when Deeks stopped her. He looked questioningly at her. She pulled her arm from his grip.

'You can talk to us,' Kensi told her gently and Narah put the bowl on the table.

'About how  _you_  left?' the girl said looking at Kensi and then she turned at Deeks. 'Or about the fact  _you_  don't  _want_  me? What do you want to discuss first? Or maybe about how my mother came back from nowhere? Which one first? Which nice heart to heart talk do you want first? Because right now...I don't want none of those!' She stormed off, leaving her breakfast standing on the table.

'I think we should have seen that reaction coming...' Deeks mumbled and Kensi nodded sighing.

* * *

Narah had insisted on going to school about half an hour later and Deeks and Kensi had brought her. With Narah at school, they decided to go to work, where a pile of paperwork was waiting for them.

'So how did it all end yesterday?' Kensi asked Callen.

'Eric and Nell got lucky and found a location from where the e-mails were send to Commander Lewis with some too difficult program,' he answered. 'We went to the location with LAPD and managed to get every last one of them.'

'Then FBI decided it was more their turf so they demanded the case,' Sam added. 'Which happens to suit us fine as we could help you two finding Narah. How is she doing?'

'Furious,' Deeks answered. 'So we haven't really had the chance to speak to her about...' Kensi glanced at him and he remembered they had decided against telling the rest of the team before they could ask Narah about it. '...everything.'

'Can't say I can blame her,' Callen noted. 'I would have been angry as well...especially since she heard you two fighting and after her mother turned up...'

'Yeah, that could have been done much better,' Kensi mumbled and she sighed. 'She was so angry this morning...I thought after last night...that it would have been different in some way...'

'Well a lot of things are still confusing and messed up for her,' Deeks shrugged. 'Did you hear anything from...umm...Alice? Anything about wanting to see Narah again?' Kensi shook her head.

'And I don't expect her to do so,' she added. 'My mom told me what Narah had said and how she had slammed the door into Alice's face...We do manage to make a mess out of everything.'

'She will be fine, guys,' Sam assured them. 'Most importantly is to let her rage about everything. Let her speak her mind.'

* * *

'So you ran away but went with them after a few hours?' Ming asked, still clearly not understanding and Narah sighed. She had explained it twice already to Ming. And she couldn't even really explain it. She did not know why she went home with Deeks and Kensi with the anger she felt now.

'Must we keep talking about it?' Ivan asked, saving her once again and she smiled at her friend. 'There must be something fun we can do...I mean we have classes: plenty of time to have some fun.'

'We could go to the mall,' Emily suggested smiling and the others sighed. 'No! They have a big sale and I need to buy something!'

'How are we even friends?' Narah joked and Emily threw her arms around her.

'I guess you just love me,' she smiled and they all began to laugh.

'Ladies and gentlemen, I understand English is not as interesting as your plans for this afternoon, but I would appreciate it if you could pretend,' Miss Trausure told them. 'Especially when you received such a mark for your essay, Emily.' Emily rolled with her eyes and let Narah go. Narah looked down to the assignments about the horrible book, which she never finished. The book sucked so much. It took only seconds for her mind to wander to a place she hadn't been in a very long time. She was only four or five and running towards the big fire truck that was returning. Her father was with two enormous steps in front of her, sweeping her up in his strong arms. He held her so high up. He said something to her but she could not remember. She was too focused on the big smile on his face. Her mother joined them, kissing her father. It seemed too scarily happy. Like they were a happy family.

A kick against her chair made her return to the classroom and she noticed that the students were leaving. Ivan and Emily were looking at her with their eyebrows raised. Narah quickly grabbed her bag and hurried out of the classroom.

* * *

Narah was confused when she didn't see Julia but Deeks and Kensi standing in front of the school when the day had ended. They were whispering with each other and had not yet noticed her. They seemed stressed and Narah couldn't help scanning the area. Were they here because of the gang? Ivan nudged her.

'Your foster parents are here,' he told her needlessly. Narah nodded and sighed. 'You want to come home with me?'

'No, I have to talk to them one day, right?' she shrugged and Ivan wrapped his arm loosely over her shoulder. She might be going home alone; Ivan showed her that he was supporting her. And that was why she loved that guy.

'Call me tonight, okay?' Ivan told her and she smiled at him.

'Stop worrying so much about me,' she laughed and Ivan laughed back.

'Can't help it,' he replied, 'you are my sister from another mother.' Deeks and Kensi had noticed them and were waiting for them to arrive. Narah saw the worried and secret glances they gave each other. She also knew Ivan saw the glances, as he stayed by her side.

'Good day at school?' Kensi asked, trying to act casual.

'Don't you two have work?' Narah asked bitterly.

'We only had some paperwork,' Deeks answered. 'We could leave early. Start the weekend at the same time as you...Hetty was feeling generous.' Narah shrugged.

'I would rather go to Julia,' she told them and with those words she turned to Ivan, who was looking at her with his eyebrow raised. 'Don't start,' she whispered at him. 'I will call you tonight.' Ivan nodded and gave her a last hug. She watched him walk away and got in the car. Deeks and Kensi kept standing outside, sharing glances again, before getting in. Because she was in no mood for talking, Narah put on her music, loudly.

* * *

'Maybe we shouldn't,' Kensi whispered at Deeks when they were back in Deeks' apartment. 'Maybe we should wait...she clearly hates us at the moment.' Narah was hiding from them in her room once again. Deeks gently stroked Kensi's cheek.

'She will be mad for a week and for a month,' he told her. 'If we don't do this now, we might never ask her and we will never become a...family...' She smiled at him and leaned in to kiss him. Then she nodded at him and together they headed to Narah's room. After their knocks had been ignored, Deeks simply opened the door, revealing the teenager sitting on her bed with a school book in her hands. She looked surprised to see them enter. Deeks and Kensi stepped over the clothes and other stuff lying on the ground to sit on the bed, both at another side.

'We want to talk to you,' Deeks said. 'Well...we want to ask you something. We know it hasn't been easy...not between me and Kensi nor between us and you...' Narah rolled with her eyes but Deeks continued. 'We also realized we did things wrong...and you heard the wrong things. Things you weren't supposed to hear...'

'Like how you don't want me,' Narah told him bitterly and Deeks nodded.

'I did not mean that I did not want you,' he explained. 'I love you very much, Narah and hurting you is the last thing I want to do...'

'Neither one of us wanted to hurt you in any way,' Kensi joined in.

'Well that you suck at doing that,' Narah replied, crossing her arms. 'You might not have meant it that way...but you said it. And you-' She turned to Kensi. '- you just left after the huge mess you made. You didn't even come to see if I was okay! You both put me through shit and now you're telling me you don't want do that! Well you failed...at everything!'

'If we failed at everything...why did you come back home with us?' Kensi asked softly and Narah's face fell blank. She blinked at Kensi, not knowing what to reply. Kensi kept her gaze at the girl. 'Tiny told me that when you walk away, you never return. Yet you return to us...even though we failed at everything, as you said...'

'Moment of weakness,' Narah mumbled while looking away angrily.

'When we found out you were gone, we fought,' Deeks admitted, glancing at Kensi. 'We blamed each other for making you want to go...not realizing we were both to blame...All that mattered was you. And we know that now. It's only about you. We can fight...but we can never let you get involved. You are the only thing we both love more than anything in the world.' They saw Narah's lip trembling but she tried to put on a brave face. Deeks glanced at Kensi, hoping that she would know how to proceed. Kensi put her hand on Narah's leg.

'What we want to say is...' She stopped to look for the words. 'What we're trying to say is that we love you and we don't want to lose you, ever. And because of that, we wanted to know if you would like...if you were okay if we adopted you.' Narah pulled her legs close to her chest, away from Kensi's hand, and she looked angrily at them. Kensi shot a worried glance at Deeks.

'You want to adopt me?' she asked and both Deeks and Kensi nodded their heads. 'After you thought you almost lost me...what do you think? Oh poor Narah is so sad, let's adopt her? Or is it because my mother came back out of nowhere? I'm not a fucking charity case! I want you to leave! Leave my room!' Shocked, Kensi moved away from the bed but Deeks didn't move.

'Didn't you hear me: freaking leave me alone!' Narah yelled into his face and she threw her pillow at him. 'Leave my room! Leave me!' Kensi pulled Deeks on his arm, out of the room. In the living room Kensi was shaking and Deeks pulled her into his arms.

'She hates us,' she mumbled.

'She's confused,' Deeks replied and he stroked her hair. 'Maybe we should have waited a little bit...but now we have to give her some time to progress it all...'

* * *

Narah walked around in the big almost empty room. She touched the chair and the wood of the mantelpiece. She touched the tin box standing prominently on it. Would all that she had fit into a tin box some day as well? She tore her gaze from the box when she heard him enter the room.

'Here you go,' Callen said and he handed her a mug with water. 'Now tell me why you wanted to come here?' Narah shrugged.

'Maybe...because you know how it sucks,' she answered and she took a sip. Callen glanced at her in silence and she swallowed the water down. 'You also been in the system...and you know...or at least kind of...how it is...'

'I know it can suck,' he said. 'But that doesn't really explain why you told Deeks and Kensi to drive you here. You could have called.'

'They want to adopt me,' Narah told him.

'You make it sound like it's a bad thing,' Callen replied and the teenager shrugged again. She started to pace around the room. She had hoped Callen would understand why it could be all wrong. She thought he would know...

'They really care about you, as you probably know for yourself,' he continued. 'They can give you the family you always wanted. The home. The love. Why would that be a bad thing? Or do you not deserve to have it all?' Narah faced him quickly and his face was all serious. Did she not want the happy ending? She had dreamed about it...but it was always her mother who had come back to give her that happy ending. Not two strangers.

But was it her mother who could give her a happy ending as she felt so much anger towards her? Could she be happy with a woman who left her all alone as a child? Abandoned her like she meant nothing. Or could she actually get that longed for happy ending with two people who she had only known for such a short time, but who had been there for her?

* * *

Kensi could not sleep and she sat restless on the couch, chewing on her thumbnail. When Narah had finally come out of her room, she had asked them to bring her to Callen. It was all she had said to them. No goodbyes when they dropped her off at Callen. Kensi did not know Narah and Callen had become so close...She took a deep breath and got up from the couch. She could not sit. She was too restless. Somehow Deeks had fallen asleep but it wasn't soundly. He was tossing around in the bed, also a part of why she could not sleep. She walked over to the table where the laptop was standing and sat down behind it. Opening the file, she sighed. A picture of a man with kind eyes was staring at her from the screen.  _William Monero_. Only twenty-four years old when he died. When she opened the next file an old picture showed up. A picture of a happy little family; Narah's family. She smiled at the sight of little three-year-old Narah, who had the biggest smile in the world on her little face.

'Hey,' Deeks whispered hoarsely and he rested his hands on her shoulders. Kensi placed her hand on his arm and she looked up.

'I thought you were sleeping,' she told him.

'I missed you beside me,' he replied and he sat down beside her. 'Having trouble sleeping?' Kensi nodded and he glanced at the laptop screen. 'What are you looking at?'

'Pictures...' Kensi answered. 'Pictures of little Narah and her family.' Deeks stroked her hair and kissed her temple.

'It will be okay,' he whispered at her. 'Callen will take good care of her.'

* * *

Nervously Deeks and Kensi were sitting at the table in the to him familiar café. Callen had called them for a place to meet. Narah wanted to talk with them. Nothing in his voice had betrayed whether it was good or bad news, so Deeks and Kensi were waiting nervously at the table in the view of the door, holding each other's hands. They held their breath as they saw Callen walk into the café, followed by Narah. She was wearing the exact same jeans, sweater and top as the day they had met. She looked like she had little sleep that night. Deeks gently squeezed Kensi's hand as Narah sat down.

'See you at work,' Callen told Deeks and Kensi as he walked out of the café again, giving Narah the chance to speak to them.

'How are you?' Kensi asked but Narah shook her head.

'Don't start that,' she said and she took a deep breath. 'First of all you need to know I am still angry at you for all that has happened...but last night I have been thinking...very long and very deep...probably not something I do very often. I have been thinking about what I want...a happy ending, like in the stories. In the end...I realized I have been happier in the short time with you than in a long time...' She took another deep breath and glanced at Deeks and Kensi, who were listening anxiously where this was going. 'So...I think I reacted the wrong way...I want to have a happy ending...and I think I can have that with you...you are my family...' Kensi glanced at Deeks, looking for confirmation of what she was thinking.

'Does this...does this mean you really want to become a part of the family?' Deeks asked. 'You want us to adopt you?' Narah nodded and Kensi gasped, tears forming in her eyes.

'Oh my God,' Kensi mumbled and she grabbed Narah's hand that was lying on the table. She gently squeezed it and Narah simply smiled. Deeks stood up.

'This calls for celebration!' he shouted. 'Josephine, we need your famous apple pie because we just got a daughter!' An older woman came hurrying out of the kitchen with a coffee pot in her hands.

'Oh...what?' she asked confused and Deeks walked over to Narah, putting his hands proudly on her shoulders.

'Josephine, meet Narah, our brand new daughter,' he announced proudly and Narah just started to laugh. The woman came over and hugged Deeks, Kensi and Narah all tightly.

'I will give you a whole pie to celebrate,' she said. 'And some cocoa, for old time's sake?' Deeks glanced at Narah, who nodded and Josephine hurried away once again, telling every customer in the café that her Marty had become a daddy. Kensi had sat down beside Narah and put an arm around the girl. Narah took a deep breath and leaned into the embrace, putting her head on Kensi's shoulder. And she felt safe. She felt happy.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 24_

'Do you think this is appropriate?' Kensi asked as she turned in front of the mirror, checking her clothes. 'Does it say 'proper mother'?' Deeks looked around the corner and smiled reassuringly.

'You look fine, Kens,' he said to her and he walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her. 'Besides, clothes won't matter. It's how we behave and take care of Narah…and we have been doing that just fine, right?' Kensi signed and looked in the mirror once again.

'An image of two parents?' she asked him and he nodded. He let her go when the door opened and Narah came walking in. She sat down on the bed.

'Who are you talking to at the agency?' she asked, trying to sound uninterested but failing pretty badly. Kensi glanced at Deeks, who shrugged and he went looking for the piece of paper.

'Miss Rooney,' he finally answered after searching for some name on the paper.

'Ah,' Narah said.

'Ah?' Kensi repeated. '"Ah" doesn't sound good…do you know her?' Narah nodded.

'She has been the one picking all my crappy homes for me,' she explained. 'I can say we hate each other after all the time we spent together. I really made her work for her money and in return I got the crappy homes. So yeah…I know her…' Deeks sat down next to Narah.

'Well this time she will be the one making your current home the permanent one,' he assured her and he stroked her hair.

'Yeah, whatever,' Narah said while she jumped up. 'We need to go if you want to drop me off at Julia before the appointment.' Kensi looked hurried at the clock and grabbed her heels.

'I'm ready,' she said, grabbing her bag as well. 'We can go.'

* * *

'We're always happy to see children being adopted by their foster parents,' Miss Rooney said with a smile on her face. 'It means the foster parents love the child and that the child is happy staying with them.' Deeks and Kensi smiled at each other. 'However, we can't let you adopt Narah just like that. There is of course a procedure we have to follow. With a child we can never be too sure.'

'We understand,' Deeks told the woman. 'We only want the best for Narah.'

'You have been taking good care of her,' Miss Rooney replied. 'But there are still some concerns, especially when it comes to school. Narah still missed a lot of school the last couple of weeks...'

'It has been an emotional rollercoaster to say at least,' Kensi explained. 'Narah became our foster daughter primarily for protection against a local gang. Friends of her had been murdered and a period of grieve comes along with that. Also Narah been through so much before she came to live with us…That is why she missed some school, but the principle also told us Narah has skipped less school and works harder. Her grades went up.'

'I have seen the reports,' Miss Rooney answered coolly. 'But you understand I have to look into all of it, in Narah's well-being of course. For your adoption application we will need get some information like references from employers or other people who know you well, your incomes to see if you keep meet the costs that come with raising a child and we will conduct a background check.' Deeks and Kensi glanced nervously at each other and Miss Rooney looked surprised. 'Will there be a problem with that?'

'Well, our records aren't accessible for people without the right clearance,' Deeks explained. 'It's our line of work.'

'But we will request the right clearance for your agency,' Kensi quickly added.

'Sounds acceptable,' Miss Rooney replied. 'Once we received all the necessary information for the application, there will be conducted a home study. This means interviews with you and Narah, getting to know everything about your education, your job, your background, your daily routine, your parenting experiences, your home and neighborhood, finding out if you're both ready to adopt plus your reasons to adopt. This phase is lengthily, between three to six months, and can be stressful. But you have been Narah's foster parents for some while now so we already have some information. As your caseworker I will be open for any questions or concerns.' Miss Rooney grabbed a brochure and handed it to Deeks and Kensi. 'In the brochure you can find all that I just told you. Take your time reading it and come to me if you have any questions.'

'Thank you,' Kensi smiled.

* * *

'This is going to be harder than I thought,' Deeks said when they were driving home. 'They are going to check my criminal record…who will approve adoption when they read I shot my father?'

'You did not kill him, Deeks,' Kensi said. 'And it was defense. You said it yourself: he would have killed your mother if you hadn't shot him. The brochure says being honest and open is important…if you just express your concern and explain it all…'

'Well, I am sorry if that's the reason we can't adopt Narah,' he said and she kissed him quickly on the cheek. Julia's house appeared in their sight and both felt nervous again. Nervous to face Narah and explain the procedure to her.

'Did it go well?' Julia immediately asked when she opened the door.

'Well we might have some trouble because of our line of work,' Kensi answered. 'Not all the information they need is accessible so we need to arrange the clearance…'

'…and my criminal record might become a problem,' Deeks added and Julia looked confused at him. 'I shot my father when I was eleven.'

'But it was self defense and you did not kill him,' Kensi said as she walked passed him, looking for Narah. 'Did everything go okay with Narah?'

'Yes, it went great,' Julia answered. 'She is sitting outside…drawing I believe. She has some talent for it. But can you tell more about the procedure that will take place?' Kensi took a breath.

'First something to drink maybe?' she asked carefully. 'We need to let everything sink in…and we brought brochures.' Julia nodded understanding and Deeks and Kensi walked into the garden where Narah was lying in the grass with a piece of paper in front of her. When she saw them walking towards her, she jumped up.

'Rooney sucked, didn't she?' she asked worried, making Deeks and Kensi laugh.

'No, she was actually nice, Narah,' Deeks told her. 'She told us some important things we need to know and she said we could always call her if we needed answers. Only your school skipping isn't a good sign…she even called it a concern.'

'I hardly skip school anymore!' Narah replied offended.

'Well the days we kept you home also count,' Kensi said. 'And there have been quite a few days like that lately. But we get a chance to explain it all and principle Plumford knows why we kept you at home. He will back-up our stories. Don't worry about it.' Narah slowly nodded and Julia came walking out with drinks.

* * *

Just when Deeks and Kensi needed to speak with Hetty, their boss wasn't in her office. So they sat nervously behind their desks waiting for Hetty to return. Callen and Sam seemed to notice their nervosity.

'So what did you do to get in trouble this time?' Sam asked jokily at Deeks, who immediately glanced at Kensi.

'I didn't do anything this time,' he answered as Kensi nodded. 'Besides, I don't get called into Hetty's office that often. I'm not like Callen...' He smiled at Callen. 'Kensi and I want to speak to Hetty, not the other way around...'

'Then what are you waiting for, Mister Deeks?' Hetty asked, appearing once again out of nowhere and making Deeks jump in his seat. He held his hand on his chest and smiled at Hetty.

'You sure make me realize how a heart attack might feel,' he said.

'You wanted to talk, mister Deeks?' Hetty asked and Deeks nodded. Hetty turned around and walked towards her office. Deeks and Kensi got up and followed her. Hetty had already three cups of tea ready. 'Do either one of you want some tea?'

'No, thank you, Hetty,' Kensi declined and she sat down. 'The reason we want to talk to you is because we have come to the decision to adopt Narah.'

'That is wonderful news, Miss Blye,' Hetty smiled.

'But in order for us to be able to adopt Narah, we need to go through some procedures,' Deeks told her. 'Information which may be hard to get because of our job...'

'Don't worry about it,' Hetty said. 'I will make sure they get the information they need and nothing more. Eric and Nell will take care of it. Just let your caseworker call me.'

'Thank you, Hetty,' Kensi replied and Hetty simply nodded.

'Is there anything we need to know about the rules concerning coworkers having children together?' Deeks asked a little worried. 'Or to be precise partners?' Kensi glanced worried at Deeks, not having thought about that at all.

'As long as it doesn't conflict in work it will be fine,' Hetty assured him. 'You can still be partners once you adopt Narah. Don't worry too much and concentrate on your daughter.' Deeks and Kensi smiled. They liked the sound of that. 'Anything else you want to know, Mister Deeks and Miss Blye?'

'No, we have all we need,' Deeks answered and Hetty nodded contently.

'Then I suggest you join Mister Callen and Hanna in finishing the paperwork,' she told them and Deeks and Kensi got up. 'And congratulations, you will make a great family.'

* * *

'Well you got what you wanted,' Ivan mumbled softly as he and Narah were lying on the bed. 'Only a little different...' Narah smiled weakly.

'"Only a little different"' she repeated. 'Ivan, I get completely different family from what I wanted...from what I dreamed of. I do not get my father and mother! I get Deeks and Kensi. I get a new life...do you realize that? Nothing will be the same.'

'Of course it will be the same,' Ivan said. 'You're still you...' Narah sat up.

'You really think I will be the same?' she asked. 'Now that I get this new family and life...I won't have to keep up walls...I can become one of those emotional freaks!' Ivan began to laugh loudly.

'You, an emotional freak?' he laughed. 'Never! You can't cry over stupid little things. For that, you been through too much...but maybe you should talk to some other kids who got adopted...get to know a little more about what might happen...'

'Maybe that's a good idea,' Narah said. 'I could ask...Beanie...he got adopted right?'

'Yeah, and now he goes by his real name: Alfred,' Ivan answered and Narah laughed.

'I would have stick with Beany,' she replied and Ivan nodded. 'But anyway, I can ask  _Alfred_  about how it was for him.' She lay back down and looked up at the ceiling in silence.

'Nah...?' Ivan asked carefully and Narah turned her head to face him. He looked very serious and she got a little worried. 'How does your mother fit into this? I mean you spent quite some time trying to find her...' Narah just kept looking at him. How did her mother fit into this? Did her mother fit into this? It was a new start but her mother could have the answers she needed.

'I don't know,' she answered honestly and Ivan pulled her closer.

'You will figure it out,' he whispered softly. 'You always do.' Narah took a deep breath and closed her eyes. For a moment she did not have to think. But the questions were haunting her and the answers were needed. Her mother had to fit in somewhere.

 


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

 

_Chapter 25_

'Maybe we should be looking for a new place,' Kensi announced as she was walking around Deeks' apartment and Deeks looked up surprised from his newspaper.

'Since when is there something wrong with my place? he asked, looking around. 'It's fine or am I wrong?' Kensi took a deep breath and sat down beside him.

'There is nothing wrong with  _your_  place,' she replied. 'But now...we're going to be a family...and we both still have our places...my home and your home...but maybe a chance we should have our home...' Deeks smiled and he raised his eyebrows.

'Are you asking me to move in with you, Kensi Blye?' he asked and Kensi punched him in his arm. 'Ouch!'

'We're practically already living together,' she told him. 'I am never at my place. I'm always here with you and Narah...'

'I know,' he replied. 'And I like that...but are you ready to give up your place...giving up your fleeing option? I would understand it if you need to have your own place in case all this family stuff gets a little too much for you...' Kensi smiled at him.

'I don't need to flee,' she assured him and she leaned closer to kiss him. 'I have nothing to flee from.'

'Then we can look for a new place,' Deeks told her.

'Are we moving?!' Narah asked who had just walked into the room. 'What is wrong with your place?' Deeks laughed at Kensi, who rolled with her eyes.

'It's  _my_ place,' Deeks explained. 'We need  _our_  place.'

'Really?' Narah asked and Deeks and Kensi nodded. 'Am I...can I...help with...'

'Picking out a place?' Kensi finished for the teenager and Narah nodded. 'Of course, how else will it be  _our_  place?'

'It needs a garden,' Narah immediately noted and she sat down in the chair. 'Oh and a swimming pool! How great would that be?!'

'Think about the money,' Kensi warned but she was smiling at her enthusiasm.

'Okay, we can leave the swimming pool out,' Narah smiled. 'And the garden doesn't need to be huge...but I always wanted a real garden...'

'A garden sounds nice,' Kensi agreed.

'Well, I am not mowing the grass,' Deeks told them and the three of them laughed. He grabbed his laptop. 'But I agree that a garden sounds nice. So it will be a house with a garden and perhaps a swimming pool...' Narah moved over to the couch to see what houses the search came up with.

* * *

Deeks sighed as he stood in front of the precinct. He actually didn't want to go in at all. He wanted to be at home, looking for houses with Kensi and Narah. He knew the reason why Bates was ordering him back and he absolutely wasn't planning on it. But he collected all his little motivation and walked in. Glares were shot at him but he ignored them all. In a straight line he walked to Bates' office. The faster he could leave, the better.

'Ah, detective Deeks,' Bates greeted, too cheerfully to Deeks' liking. 'Take a seat. There is much to discuss and not much time.' Deeks took a seat in the chair Bates had pointed at.

'What is the case?' Deeks sighed, wanting to get to core of the story.

'Well, we have been looking into a gang for quite some time now and an opening has come up,' Bates started. 'A spot you will get the chance to fill in. The gang has been smart and we could never prove anything, but we suspect them of selling drugs, guns and people. If you're willing to pay the right price…I need you to go under and try to infiltrate the gang, to give us the prove we need to put the behind bars all together.' Deeks shifted uncomfortably in his chair. An undercover operation was the last thing he needed right now.

'Sir, it's a little complicated…' he started but Bates put his hand up.

'I know you got used to working for NCIS,' he interrupted. 'Miss Lange seems to be quite fond of you, but you still work for LAPD, which means me! You are going under!'

'Sir, it's not NCIS…' Deeks tried to explain. 'It's…Me and….I'm in the middle of an adoption procedure. I can't leave all off the sudden, not like that…with all due respect…'

'With all due respect, detective Deeks,' Bates warned, 'if you don't go undercover, you will no longer have a job. And last time I checked, you really need a job to be considered for adoption…and this time Miss Lange won't be able to help you, or anyone else of your little team. Next week 7 a.m. sharp you report to me.' Deeks shook his head in disbelieve. But once Bates dropped the file in front of him and Deeks got a glance at the pictures, he knew he would be standing right here next week, 7 a.m. sharp. He could not refuse after seeing the pictures of those young teenage girls and Bates knew he wouldn't. He was like an evil Hetty.

* * *

Deeks didn't look pleased when he walked back into the bullpen after the meeting at LADP. He looked even less pleased when he usually did when he came back from the precinct. Kensi glanced at him, hoping for some answers, but he buried himself in the paperwork. Not until they were walking towards Julia's door, Kensi had a chance to ask Deeks about the meeting.

'I need to go undercover for awhile,' Deeks told her after a deep breath and Kensi just stared in shock at him.

'For how long?' she managed to ask.

'Undetermined for now,' he answered and he knocked on the door. Kensi averted her eyes from him and stared at the flower pots beside the door. Undercover…for undetermined time…what would that mean for the adoption procedure? She had not a chance to ask him that as Julia opened the door.

'Ah, you came in time,' she greeted smiling. Deeks and Kensi both smiled weakly at her and stepped inside. Julia took a breath and closed the door.

'So, how were your days?' she asked.

'Not right now, mom,' Kensi told her mother and she walked into the living room where she expected to see Narah, but the teenager wasn't there. Julia joined her.

'She is in the kitchen,' she told Kensi. 'She actually made dinner for the all of us, so try to be a little more cheerful.' Kensi smiled and walked into the kitchen where Narah was standing in front of the stove, concentrating on the pancake in the pan. She even had a little flour or something on her cheek.

'Smells good,' Deeks said, who appeared behind Kensi. Narah turned around with a shy smile on her face.

'I made dinner,' she pointed at the pile of pancakes. 'Well Julia helped me…It's almost ready.'

'I can't wait,' Deeks smiled. 'I'm hungry and it looks really good, Narah.'

* * *

The dinner had been a success and the desert, homemade tiramisu, was amazing. Julia had packed the leftovers and given them to Narah to take home. Even though the evening had been great, Narah had noticed something between Deeks and Kensi when they drove back in silence, and it feared her a bit. A fight was the last thing what they needed now. They all quietly walked inside and after putting the leftovers away, Narah could no longer take it.

'What happened?' she asked and Deeks and Kensi glanced at each other. Narah crossed her arms, hating when they did that. Deeks gestured for them to sit on the couch and he took a deep breath.

'I have to go undercover for LAPD,' he told her. 'And I don't know for how long yet.' Narah looked at Kensi, whose eyes had turned sad.

'Oh I understand,' Narah slowly spoke and she let her head hang. It had always been too good to be true.

'Hey, don't worry,' Kensi told her and she stroked the girl's head. 'We're going to make it work. We're still going to be a family.' Narah shrugged and looked away. Then she remembered something and she faced Deeks.

'Why don't you join NCIS?' she asked him. 'You already have the papers.' Deeks looked in shock at Narah and Kensi at her turn at Deeks. Narah looked from Deeks to Kensi. Did she say something wrong?

'What papers?' Kensi asked confused and a little pissed off. Narah took a deep breath. She indeed had said something wrong.

'How do you know about the papers?' Deeks asked Narah, ignoring Kensi for that moment.

'Umm…in the drawer of the desk…' Narah answered hesitantly. 'I was looking for a working pen for my homework…and I just found it…they were lying there…'

'Deeks, what papers?!' Kensi repeated, a little more forceful.

'Hetty gave me papers to become a NCIS agent awhile back,' Deeks explained. 'She gave me to sign them whenever I wanted…and I guess I never wanted it…' Kensi's back straightened and Deeks put his hand on her knee. 'Not because I don't like working with you and the rest of the team. It's just…I always been a cop…it's who I am…'

'And because of who you are, we now have to worry about the adoption procedure,' Kensi said harshly and Narah got up. She did not want to hear this. Hearing one fight had been enough. She grabbed Monty's leash, called for the dog and walked out of the door, ignoring Deeks and Kensi's calls.

* * *

As almost every day was a warm day in Los Angeles, there were still people on the beach, enjoying the last moments of warmth. Narah slowly walked over the warm sand with Monty beside her. This was how it always went. Always there was moment where everything came crashing down and turn her life upside down again. Now Deeks was leaving them for who knows how long and instead of enjoying the time they have left together, they fight. And they fight because she had to open her big mouth. Monty's nose pushed against her leg and Narah noticed she had stopped walking. Also she noticed it was getting late. The beach started to get abandoned and right now, Narah did not wanted to be the only one on the beach. So she turned around and headed back to the apartment. Bright light was falling out of the window but Narah sat down on the bottom stair and she took a deep breath. Monty laid down his head on her knee.

* * *

Deeks glanced out of the window and he saw Narah sitting on the stairs, talking to Monty and he smiled weakly. He wasn't doing a good job of taking care of her right now. She seemed more miserable than before. He looked over his shoulder to see Kensi sitting on the couch, deep in thoughts. They all were and all were thinking about the same thing: the adoption procedure. Narah had been right to ask why he didn't just sign the papers. He should sign the papers. Why didn't he want to? LAPD treated him as crap and NCIS had made him feel home. Without thinking a second longer he turned around, walking to the desk and taking out the papers. He dropped them on the coffee table in front of Kensi, because he wanted to make sure she would see him sign them.

'Deeks…' Kensi mumbled and she grabbed his hand before he could put it down on the paper. 'You need to be sure yourself you want this…not because of any other reason…' Deeks looked her in her mismatched eyes.

'I want to be with you two,' he told her. 'That is my reason to sign. LAPD is stopping me from being with you…so yeah, I am ready to become an agent.' Kensi smiled and she kissed him softly on his lips.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 26_

Deeks watched the woman in his arms as she was soundly asleep. This was what he wanted and nothing more. But he had to get up and leave her behind. Her and his girl. He turned over and faced the alarm clock. Only four more minutes and the 5 a.m. alarm would go off. Deeks sighed and kissed Kensi on her head. She murmured at bit and snuggled closer to him. He couldn't help smiling and he pulled away from her embrace. On his way to the bedroom he turned the alarm off, giving Kensi her precious sleep.

Freshly washed Deeks stepped out of the shower and put on his clothes. As he put on his shirt, he realized he had never brought his clothes to the bathroom. He quickly glanced into the bedroom and saw the bed empty. With a smile on his face, he walked into the living room. There was Kensi standing behind the stove and Narah was sitting at the table.

'What is this?' he smiled. Kensi walked over to him with a plate.

'Breakfast,' she told him and she kissed him. 'Just so you know what you have to miss while you're away.' Deeks smiled and he pulled Kensi to kiss her more firmly.

'Please, teenager in the room!' Narah joked and Deeks turned to her. He stroked her head and Narah smiled.

'Thank you both,' he said and he looked at his breakfast. 'I'll most definitely not forget what I left behind...and I  _will_  be back.'

'Safe and sound,' Kensi told him strictly.

'Safe and sound,' Deeks promised and he sealed it with a kiss. He quickly ate his food and looked at Kensi and Narah, who are taking a slower pace to eat their breakfast. Narah even almost fell asleep sitting at the table. They had given up two hours of their precious sleep to say goodbye to him. He watched as Kensi joked with Narah and he watched them laugh. His little family.

* * *

Deeks took another deep breath. The time had come that he had to leave. He glanced at Kensi and she nodded. He looked at Narah, who was standing in the corner, trying to put on a brave face. He walked over to her and he hugged her. It took her a few seconds but then she gave in to the hug.

'I will miss you,' he whispered to her and she nodded against his chest. 'Be a good girl and give Kensi some Twinkies. Make sure she doesn't make a huge mess of my place.' Narah started to laugh and she looked up at him. Deeks was surprised to see tears in the girl's eyes and it made him fight his own tears. It had never been so hard to go undercover. He let Narah go and he turned to Kensi. His beautiful girlfriend who was calmly looking at him. She knew what undercover work meant. She knew the dangers. Deeks walked over to her and kiss her.

'I'll be fine,' Kensi told him but Deeks saw it was a lie. He took a deep breath. He had thought about this all night. About what he was about to do. He looked long at Kensi, whose face turned more confused as time passed. Then he slowly started to speak.

'Kensi, there is no one in the world I loved more than you,' he started and Kensi held her breath. 'You are the most gorgeous woman in the world, and just as dangerous. It is you I want to spend the rest of my life with...and this is all kind of last minute...and I didn't completely prepare it all...like I have done before...but Kensi Marie Blye...Fern...will you marry me?' This time both Kensi and Narah gasped and Kensi even began to cry. She placed her hand on his cheek and tried to find words. His heart began to beat faster and faster. Then Kensi averted her eyes and his heart sank.

'Deeks, I love you too,' she told him, looking up again. 'But this is not the way to do this...not now that you're going undercover for who knows how long...I'm sorry, Deeks.' Deeks swallowed and he nodded. He understood. It had been a bad plan. He wiped Kensi's tears away.

'It's okay,' he told her and he kissed her. 'I will come back and ask you at the right time, the right moment.' She smiled through her tears and hugged him. Deeks extended his arm for Narah to join. He gave both his girls one last kiss and he walked out the door.

* * *

'So Deeks went under?' Sam asked casually when Kensi walked into the bullpen on her own. Kensi slowly nodded and she sat down behind her desk. As she tried to go through her e-mails, the silence was loud. No silly remarks or jokes from Deeks. Just the rustling of Sam's newspaper. Kensi sighed and rested her chin on her hand.

'You're okay, Kens?' Callen asked and she smiled at him.

'I'm fine,' she told him and she turned back to her e-mails. One of them sent a shiver down her spine. Miss Rooney wanted to speak with them, both of them, needing some more information. Deeks had only been away for two hours and already trouble was starting. How was this going to work when Deeks was gone for a long time? She looked at his empty desk. He had been only away for a couple of hours now...only hours. Not even a day yet and she was already missing him. It was quiet in the bullpen without him.

'Miss Blye, a moment in my office please?' Hetty asked politely and Kensi looked up curiously. Callen and Sam both shrugged and Kensi quickly went over to Hetty's office. Hetty stood there with a cup of tea in her hands. 'Would you like a cup as well, Miss Blye?' Kensi shook her head and she sat down in the chair.

'I just received some papers from Mister Deeks,' Hetty said and Kensi smiled. 'As I guessed you already know what they mean. After this case, Mister Deeks will become an NCIS agent. But until that time, for as long Mister Deeks is undercover, I have to assure you that I will help you with anything that's needed in order for you to adopt Narah.' She was holding a piece of paper and Kensi recognized the handwriting with ease. She started to smile. Even when he was not in the room with her, he had her back.

'Thank you, Hetty,' she smiled at her boss, who simply nodded.

'As for your work, I think you, Mister Callen and Hanna can manage with just the three of you,' Hetty said and Kensi nodded. She didn't want any other partner than Deeks. Hetty nodded. 'We shall see how long Mister Deeks' case last; until then you won't have a partner.'

* * *

Narah was sitting on the couch, worried about she had seen on the laptop. Cops died going undercover. So many covers were getting blown...what was the chance that would happen to Deeks? They kept saying he was one of the best, but even the best die. She quickly closed the laptop when Julia walked into the room.

'Hey, shouldn't you be making homework?' she asked and Narah shrugged. She didn't feel like making her homework when Deeks' life was in danger, every second of the day. Narah understood undercover was sometimes the only way to catch the criminals but why did it have to be Deeks? Why didn't he sign those papers and work for just NCIS?

'Narah?!' Julia said and Narah looked up. Julia looked like she was expecting a reply to some question or something but Narah had missed it completely. Julia sat down on the couch next to Narah. 'Are you okay, sweetheart?' Narah put on her brave face and she nodded.

'Just not wanting to make my homework right now,' she answered. 'Besides I made almost half of it at school already.'

'Okay,' Julia said. 'You can do something else, as long as you make your homework after dinner, promise?' Narah nodded and as soon as Julia left the room, she opened the laptop again. Not much could be found about undercover cops, except for books and TV shows of course. But Narah wanted to find the facts. How many of the cops died while undercover? Were undercover cops even able to adopt children? She knew a safe and stable job was important. Deeks did not have that. Actually neither did Kensi. What if the application was turned down and Deeks and Kensi weren't allowed to keep her. A hand pushing the laptop down shocked Narah and she looked up right into Julia's eyes.

'Looking up all the facts will make you go crazy,' she told the teenager. 'You just have to trust that Deeks will do whatever it takes to come back to you and Kensi. He will take no unnecessary risks.'

'But...' Narah started and Julia smiled, taking the laptop away.

'Trust me, you can better concentrate on the good things,' she said. 'And if there aren't any...make some good things. Also talk to Kensi. She is probably as worried as you are.' She stroked Narah's head as she walked out of the room taking the laptop with her. Narah sighed and glanced out of the window.

* * *

She didn't remember the bed being this empty. She couldn't remember if she had ever been in this apartment without him longer than one afternoon. Deeks was always by her side in this room and she missed that. Kensi turned her head as she heard the door open. Narah came walking in, wearing her pajamas already. She smiled at the teenager who was holding two bowls of ice cream.

'Deeks left us some ice with the note to eat it and not to worry,' Narah told her and Kensi gestured her to get over to the bed. She took the bowl of ice cream gratefully. Cookie Dough, her favorite. Always taking care of them. Narah leaned against the wall, eating her ice cream quietly.

'He knows us quite well, doesn't he?' Kensi smiled as she sat down next to the girl, who nodded with a spoon full of ice cream. Kensi patted Narah's leg. 'We will make it work with the two of us. We can eat all the ice cream we want and watch Top Model all day...'

'We could watch a movie right now,' Narah suggested and Kensi nodded.

'Any on your mind?'

'What about  _The Notebook_? I really wanted to see it. They said it was good but Deeks wouldn't let me watch it...saying it was too much of a chick flick and no one was watching it near him.' Kensi started to laugh.

'Yeah, I remember the time we tried watching it together. But I think it's a good plan to watch  _The Notebook_ , since Deeks is...' Kensi quickly took a spoon of ice cream and Narah held up the DVD.

* * *

They didn't get far into the movie before Narah started to ask questions about Deeks' undercover, which was so much on her mind she couldn't give any attention to the movie at all. Kensi tried her best to answer any of her questions.

'If you see him on the street, ignore him and get as far away as possible,' Kensi told her. 'He is undercover and any hint of his real life is a danger for his cover. And he will become worried when you're so close to his case…think more about keeping you safe than himself...which is why you have to get as far away as possible.' Narah nodded and toyed with her melted ice cream. Kensi stroked her hair. 'He will come home. He knows me and Hetty will kick his ass if he dies.' Narah smiled weakly. The answers eased her mind a little but still she wasn't comfortable with it.

'Does it ever get easier?' she asked Kensi, who shrugged.

'I usually go undercover with Deeks, so I wouldn't know...It's probably the hardest part of dealing with Deeks' undercover: I am not there to have his back like we're used to.' Narah slowly nodded and suddenly she felt tired. She put the bowl away and glanced at Kensi.

'Can I stay with you for the night?' she asked carefully and Kensi nodded.

'Of course you can,' she said and she kissed Narah on her forehead. 'I'll get rid of these bowls and then we can get some sleep.' Narah nodded and watched Kensi walk out of the door. When she was alone in the room, she carefully touched her forehead. No one had kissed her on her forehead in such a long time. To her, kissing the forehead was something of pure love. Pure love between parent and child. The last time she was eight years old and was abandoned not long after. Narah turned to her side and sighed. It wasn't right. Not yet. She had to do something before it was alright. Before she could live her dream. So when Kensi walked back into the room, Narah sat up.

'I want to go to my mother.'


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 27_

'Are you sure you want to do this?' Kensi asked one more time right before she and Narah were about to leave. 'I mean, we can call and tell her we're not coming. You don't need to go.' Narah took a deep breath and shook her head. She really needed to do this. So she waited for Kensi, who stood hesitantly at the door.

'I am sure, Kensi,' she told her.

'Okay,' Kensi nodded and she stepped outside, closing the door behind her. 'It's just last time you saw Alice...you had a hard time...just don't want that to happen again.' She stroked Narah's head and the teenager smiled.

'Don't worry,' she said. 'I'll be fine. I just need some answers which my mother only has. And last time I didn't know she was coming and was caught off guard. I had all day to think about it and I am sure.' She took a deep breath and hurried downstairs towards the car. If she waited longer, the doubt would only grow. She wasn't sure at all. All day she had been thinking about it. About what to ask her mother. Which answers she needed. But she had no answers on those thoughts. She only began to doubt more, the longer she thought about it. A sickening feeling to her stomach had started rise about hour ago and now she felt like she was going to throw up.

'Narah? Are you getting in?' Kensi asked, pulling Narah out of her thoughts and she saw Kensi already sitting behind the steering wheel, ready to leave. Narah took another deep breath and got in the car.

* * *

A white house with beautiful flowers in the front garden. A wooden bench at the porch. That could have been her house, Narah realized and she kept staring at it. It looked so homey...such a good place to raise a family. Kensi had told Deeks about the man and baby, when she thought Narah had been asleep. The house looked peaceful and nothing like the apartment she had lived in with her parents. How different her life could have been was shown in just this one sight of the house.

'I can just continue driving,' Kensi said when Narah made no move but Narah shook her head. She had come this far. When she turned to Kensi, it looked like Kensi was the one who wanted to leave. She seemed uncomfortable being here.

'I can go in alone,' Narah told her but Kensi shook her head.

'No, I will come along,' she said. Narah smiled weakly and turned her head back to the house. She almost screamed when she saw someone standing in the door opening. Now there was no turning back. Narah took a few deep breaths and stepped out of the car. As she got closer, she noticed Alice was shaking and smiling nervously.

'Hey, Narah,' she greeted softly and she invited them in. Narah glanced around. She actually liked how it looked. It seemed warm and light. Effort had been put into making it a home. Something that was never tried with their apartment. That always been an empty room. Simply because her father used all the money to buy drugs.

'Do you want something to drink?' Alice asked nervously. 'Some water...soda...tea?' Narah shook her head and Alice gestured her to sit down. Alice sat down in the chair opposite of her. For a few moments they looked at each other, taking in each other's sights.

'You wanted to ask me something?' Alice eventually said and Narah nodded.

'I want...I need to know...' Narah started to stumble, 'I want to know why you left me all alone...telling me you went to get some groceries...just to never return again...' Alice looked at Narah for a long time, without saying a word. Slowly Narah saw tears forming in her mother's eyes and for no reason she had to fight her own. Why did it hurt so much to see her mother tear up? Tear up because of her questions.

'I...I would have destroyed it all if I had stayed with you,' Alice managed to speak and she took a deep breath. 'I never saw you when I looked at you...I saw my husband...I couldn't handle that anymore. I would have been destroyed...and dragged you along with my misery...I couldn't do that to you. You were just an innocent child...my innocent little girl, who had already seen too much...too much for such a little child. This was the only way, to keep you safe. I was too weak to take care of you...I wasn't as strong as your father...I was only twenty-four and suddenly a widow and single mom. It was too much...I could not live another day knowing I would have to miss your father...being reminded every day of him, by you...' Alice's tears were flowing freely from her own eyes and as much as Narah tried to stop hers, her tears were flowing freely as well. Alice took Narah's hand and this time Narah's first instinct wasn't to pull back. It felt good to feel her mother's hand.

'I left you, to protect you,' Alice said. 'I was tired of fighting. I needed the rest...you needed a safe place to grow up...I am so sorry for leaving you that day...each day of my life I regret not having the chance to see you grow up...it hurts to see my own so...I just wish...wish your father had fought a little harder...' Alice struggled with the words and only sat quietly crying on the couch, hiding her face from Narah and Kensi, but still holding Narah's hand. Narah took a shaky breath and squeezed her mother's gently. She wished she had been there for her mother...she couldn't believe she felt sorry for her mother, after all the hatred she had felt all those years.

'You became such a beautiful girl,' Alice cried and she looked up to the ceiling. 'Still your father's face...his beauty...you're just a gorgeous girl.' She stroked Narah's cheek and Narah felt herself lean into her mother's touch. 'You're...you're a daughter to be proud of...' Narah felt Kensi's hand on her shoulder and the little squeeze. She glanced up through her tears to look to her.

'She is a daughter to be so proud of,' Kensi agreed, her voice thick from the emotions and she smiled weakly at Narah. Alice patted Narah on her hand and took a deep breath.

'No matter what you been through...I'm happy you ended up with Deeks and Kensi,' she said. 'They clearly love you very much...and that is what you deserve: a loving family...I'm so sorry I could never offer that to you...' Narah grabbed onto Kensi's arm and Kensi kissed her on the top of her head.

* * *

'Will you tell me about now?' Narah asked after they took some time to collect themselves. Alice glanced up and once again just looked at her. Then she nodded and she grabbed her phone. She showed the background of her phone of a smiling little boy.

'This is Jamie,' she smiled. 'He is already seven months and growing such much...he is such a smiler...' She showed some more pictures. 'And this is my husband Carl. I met him four years ago ..he was such a charmer. He is an accountant and an amazing dad...he helped me through a lot like your father's death...' Alice took a deep breath. 'He...umm...doesn't know about you. I could never explain it to him. I couldn't even explain it to myself by that time...I regretted it all...but Carl and Jamie made me feel better...gave me my life back...' Narah looked at the picture of her little brother smiling so brightly. He was having the life she wanted to have with her mother...but she could not hold it against him. Her life had turned out different but it had turned out good. In the end it was good. It was to her little brother to enjoy her dream life with her mother...their mother.

'You can meet them if you want,' Alice suggested hesitantly. 'I can explain it to him...and Jamie is going to love his sister...' Narah shook her head. That was not what she wanted. She got all she wanted...almost everything.

'I just wanted answers,' Narah told her and she took a deep breath. 'Nothing more... Just like you didn't want to do anything with me seven years ago, I want nothing to do with you now. You gave birth to me but you never were a real mom to me. I just wanted answers...' As she looked up to see her mother, she saw only the tears. She closed her eyes. This was never how she had imagined it to go, but she was sure. Sure for now. It wasn't Alice what she had been dreaming of. It had been her family with Deeks and Kensi.

'I'm sorry,' she mumbled and Alice shook her head.

'No...no it's okay,' she said. 'It's my own fault...It's my fault I lost you...I just thought...' Again she shook her head. 'Just not how I imagined it...'

'I know,' Narah said and she looked up at Kensi, who smiled at her. 'We should go.'

'Are you sure?' Kensi asked and Narah nodded. She was tired and wanted to go home. So she got up and walked with Kensi towards the door, only to turn around at the door.

'Where is he?' she asked Alice, who was sitting like a lost little girl on the couch. 'Where is my father?' Alice looked confused.

'He's dead,' she answered. 'He is nowhere...and everywhere.'

'Where is he buried?' Narah rephrased her question.

* * *

It was like the temperature dropped several degrees when Kensi and Narah walked over the graveyard. Narah had never gotten the chance to see her father's grave. To say a proper goodbye. Last time she saw her father, she begged him to wake up...but it had already been too late. He wasn't waking up ever again.

'Here he is,' Kensi said softly and she pointed at the filthy gravestone. It seemed like no one had been here in a long time, except for the white rose. One white rose was lying in front of the grave. Narah wondered who would have put it here. Who had cared about some guy who had lost his way. Narah crouched down and brushed off some of the dirt and it revealed her father's name. Tears were gathering in her eyes as she stared at the familiar name. It was really him. After all this time, she could say goodbye. She put her hand against the stone and closed her eyes.

'Sweet dreams, daddy,' she whispered.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 28_

'You know...it doesn't really feel right...' Narah said as she walked around in the empty room. She turned to Kensi, who nodded in agreement. Narah looked into the kitchen and sighed.

'If you do not like the house, we can move on to the next one,' the realtor said, trying to keep smiling politely. 'I have several other houses we can view and I'm sure you will love one of those houses. Can you give me an indication why this particular house doesn't feel right?' Narah shrugged but Kensi sighed.

'My boyfriend is currently not available,' Keni started to explain, 'and we are looking for a place for the three of us. It's rather difficult to find that without him.' The realtor nodded understanding.

'You know, maybe we should call it a day,' she said. 'We can look at other houses tomorrow or later this week...or when your boyfriend returns. Not all the houses on my list will be sold in one week. We can take our time.' Kensi nodded and Narah smiled, grabbing her jacket. She and Kensi hurried out of the house, leaving the realtor alone.

'Well, this is going well,' Narah sighed and she glanced out of the car window. Kensi started the car and drove off. The car rides had become silent since Deeks went undercover two weeks and three days ago. And nine hours and about thirty-three minutes, to be more precise. They both missed him more than they had expected. Plus living in his apartment without him was strange.

'We still have time,' Kensi said. Unfortunately they did, Narah thought. There still wasn't a word from or about Deeks. It was silent on all fronts.

* * *

Monty was lying on the floor, close to the front door and the dog looked sad. Kensi watched him for awhile, feeling sorry for the dog. She turned her head and saw Narah sitting at the table, trying to do some homework but was mostly staring at the opposite wall. She sighed. They couldn't go on like this. Deeks could be undercover for months. They can stay like this for such a long time. They needed to figure out how to go on.

'Okay, I'm going to make a call,' she announced and Narah looked up.

'Are you going to call Hetty?' she asked hopefully and Kensi nodded, smiling. She grabbed her phone and called the familiar number. Waiting for Hetty to answer the phone, she noticed the time and winced. It was already kind of late.

'Miss Blye,' Hetty answered the phone, 'you know I can't bring you into contact with Mister Deeks.' Kensi smiled. Hetty always knew them too well.

'I know...but would it be possible to tell us how he is doing? I know you have an eye out for him.'

'He is doing fine, Miss Blye. Cover is still intact and he is slowly getting closer to the top of the gang. He is making progress, as the good undercover cop he is.' Kensi took a relieved breath and she nodded at Narah, who began to smile.

'Thank you, Hetty.'

'No trouble at all. I expected you to call sooner for information on Mister Deeks. How is Narah holding up?'

'She is doing okay, like all of us. Thanks for asking.'

'Of course, Miss Blye.' As Kensi hung up, Narah looked up hopefully and Kensi smiled.

'He is safe,' she answered the teenager's unspoken question. 'His cover is still intact...and he has Hetty behind him.'

* * *

'Come on, Narah!' Ming sighed frustrated. 'What is wrong with you? Where did your smile and your thoughts go? You didn't even touch any of the cookies.' She shoved the plate with cookies more towards Narah. Narah took a cookie and took a bite, just to please Ming.

'I'm fine,' she answered and Emily put her arm around her.

'Everyone has a bad day once in awhile without a reason,' Emily said and she hugged Narah. 'I have those days every month.'

'Emily!' Ivan shouted in disgust and Emily and Ming started to laugh. 'That is definitely information I do not need to know! Let's keep the girl stuff far far away from me!' Even Narah managed to laugh and she hugged Ivan.

'Thank you,' she whispered at him and he simply smiled. Emily jumped up from her bed and stood in front of the others.

'So what are we going to do?' she asked enthusiastically. 'I mean, staying in my room is awesome and all...but we are fifteen! There must be something more excited to do. What about a day at the mall?'

'You and your mall,' Narah said. 'Are you married to it or something?'

'I'm a girl,' Emily replied, like that explained it all.

'So are me and Narah,' Ming said. 'And we're not married to the mall...so something else to do?'

'We could shoot some hoops in the gym,' Ivan suggested. 'Like old times. I can call Tiny and Tasha. They're probably bored as well.' Narah nodded. It would be good to see all of her friends again, playing some basketball.

* * *

'Hey, how has your day been?' Kensi asked when Narah walked into the apartment, looking tired but happy. She dumped her backpack on the floor and kicked off her shoes. When Kensi raised her eyebrows, she placed her shoes neatly next to each other and went to put her bag in her room. She sat down at the table as Kensi put their dinner on the table.

'It was great,' Narah said before taking a big bite of her steak. 'Thank you for letting me spend this Saturday with my friends. We played basketball in the old gym...'

'Isn't the gym closed these days?' Kensi asked. 'Since the shooting?' Narah smiled nervously and concentrated on her food. Kensi sighed. 'Narah, you broke into the gym to play basketball? You know you would get in a lot of trouble when you get caught!' Narah shrugged.

'We were just playing basketball and hanging out,' she said. 'We didn't do anything wrong or destroy anything. Anyways...my day was great. Did you enjoy your Saturday off?' Kensi sighed and took a sip from her beer.

'I spent my time cleaning,' she said and Narah began to laugh.

'You cleaned?' she asked and Kensi nodded. 'Deeks always said you couldn't clean to save your life.' Kensi laughed.

'He never said that.'

'But he thought it...' Both started to laugh and continued their dinner.

* * *

Kensi blinked a few times, trying to figure out what had woken her up. Then she heard the music again, coming from the living room and she walked out of the bedroom. There she saw Narah, still in her pajamas, jumping on the couch, singing along with the song that was playing loudly.

'We will, we will rock you!' she sang, fully committing to the song and definitely not noticing Kensi watching her. 'We will, we will rock you! Buddy you're a young man...' Narah stopped singing and jumping when she finally noticed Kensi. Embarrassed she got off the couch. The song kept playing and Kensi and Narah just looked at each other.

'Enjoying yourself?' Kensi asked smiling and Narah laughed embarrassed.

'Deeks and I used to listen to music in the morning,' she explained and she turned the volume down. 'After he came back from surfing...'

'But you're never up this early?' Kensi said confused and then she looked on the clock. Twelve o'clock. 'Oh...it's not that early.' Narah smiled and Kensi sat down on the couch.

'How did I not know about this ritual?' she asked the teenager.

'We listened through the headset,' Narah answered. 'Deeks said you would kill him if we woke you up too early...and having a dead foster parent will make it hard to get adopted...' As soon as Narah realized what she said, she fell silent and averted her eyes. Kensi pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head.

'He will be fine,' she assured her. 'Don't worry about it, okay?' Narah nodded and Kensi took a deep breath. 'Now turn the music back up. This is a really good song.'

* * *

Just when Kensi folded the last towel and handed it to Narah to put in the closet, the doorbell rang. Kensi glanced at Narah, who shrugged. They weren't expecting anyone to come by this Sunday. When Kensi opened the door, she gasped. Miss Rooney was standing in front of her with a big smile on her face.

'Good afternoon,' she greeted and Kensi did the same.

'Come inside,' she said and Miss Rooney walked inside, scanning the room immediately. 'Can I offer you something to drink?'

'A cup of tea would be nice,' Miss Rooney answered.

'Hey, Kensi, who was in front of the...?' Narah asked, walking back into the living room and she stopped when she saw her caseworker. 'Oh...'m

'Hello, Narah nice to see you again,' Miss Rooney greeted smiled and Narah nodded smiling at her. Kensi pulled Narah into the kitchen, starting on the tea, and watching Miss Rooney sitting down on the couch.

'What is that woman doing here?' Narah asked confused. Kensi turned to the fridge, looking for the one letter. She quickly read it over.

'I might have got the dates mixed up for the house visit,' she told Narah. 'I could swear it was next week! So...'

'So...' Narah agreed. 'Well, you cleaned the house yesterday...we finished folding the laundry...and I will clean my room right away, while you stall her...' Kensi nodded and Narah ran off to her bedroom.

* * *

'Well this is Deeks' apartment,' Kensi said as she showed Miss Rooney the place. 'He is away for work right now...but...umm...well we're trying to find a new place to live in...a place for the three of us, together.' Miss Rooney nodded interested and she wrote something down in her papers. Narah came hurried out of her bedroom with a garbage bag.

'Just finished cleaning my room,' she smiled at Miss Rooney and she looked at Kensi. 'Like you expect me to do every Sunday.' Miss Rooney glanced at Kensi, who nodded. Behind Miss Rooney's back, both Kensi and Narah took a relieved breath. Then Monty came walking out of the room as well. Miss Rooney pointed at him with her pen.

'He is allowed in the bedrooms?' she asked.

'Umm...yes...' Kensi answered, unsure whether it was the right answer. 'But he is not allowed on the bed...'

'Ah, I see,' Miss Rooney noted and again she wrote something down. 'He is a trained dog?' Kensi and Narah both nodded at once.

'A retired police dog,' Kensi answered. 'It's actually Deeks' dog. Very well trained.' Narah whistled and Monty followed her outside. Kensi opened the door to the bathroom. 'And well...yeah...this is the bathroom...a little small...but as I said...we're looking for a new place.'

'And how is that going?' Miss Rooney asked and Kensi tried to sigh out of the caseworker's sight.

'It's going...' she answered. 'Deeks not being here makes it a little troublesome...but we're looking at houses...tomorrow after school we have an appointment to look at some more houses.' Miss Rooney nodded and Kensi tried to look over the woman's shoulder as she once again wrote something down. But to Kensi's annoyance, the woman seemed to be trained and Kensi couldn't see a thing.

'Okay, Miss Blye, I have seen enough,' Miss Rooney told her while she turned around and Kensi followed her to the front door.

'Was it okay?' Kensi wondered. 'Did we pass the...house inspection?' Miss Rooney smiled at her.

'Goodbye, Miss Blye,' she said. 'We will be in touch.' Kensi wanted to repeat her question but Miss Rooney seemed to be eager to leave so Kensi opened the door for her. Only seconds after Miss Rooney left, Narah came rushing in, followed by Monty.

'So, was it good?' Narah immediately wanted to know.

'She smiled and said goodbye...' Kensi answered.

'Ah...' Narah replied nodding. 'What does that mean?' Kensi looked at Miss Rooney's car driving away and she shrugged.

* * *

'So the house has three rather large rooms,' the realtor said as they walked onto the driveway of the fifth house to view. 'It has a large living room with kitchen. It's a very light house.' She stuck the key in the lock and turned to Kensi and Narah. 'Are you ready to see it?'

'Yes, show us the place,' Kensi said and the realtor opened the door. They walked into the living room which was indeed very light and large. It looked out on the big green garden and Narah started to smile when she noticed the pool. Kensi put her arm around Narah's shoulder, smiling as well. A smile even appeared on the realtor's face, relieved she finally found a place they seemed to like.

'Let's see the kitchen,' the realtor said. 'It has just been replaced so it's all new equipment like the microwave and the stove.' Kensi simply nodded. It was not like they actually cooked very often in the apartment…but maybe with this house they would cook more. It was a big kitchen and great, just like the living room. It was a great start for the house, but there still was upstairs to view. The realtor let them upstairs and there it was light as well. The entire house just bathed in light.

'All has been renovated about three years ago,' the realtor told them. 'The owners were really branded on having the best of the best with this house. They improved the entire house in the last three years…the two bedrooms are sixteen square meters and the largest bedroom is about twenty square meters. This is one of the sixteen square…' She opened a door and Kensi and Narah stepped inside. Narah stepped to the window and looked outside. Kensi joined her.

'Think you can live here?' she asked the teenager, who slowly nodded with a little smile on her face. Kensi pulled her closer.

Monday morning Kensi hurried up the stairs in the Ops center.

'Nell, I need your help,' she told the female tech, who glanced curiously at her.

'With what?' Nell asked. Kensi gave Nell a folder about the house and she patiently waited while Nell read through it. As she finished, Nell looked up at her.

'What do you want me to do?' Nell asked.

'I need to speak to Deeks,' Kensi answered and Nell looked conflicted. 'I know you're in contact with him, Nell. Hetty keeps an eye on him and you are that eye…so please, help me to get into contact…the house is perfect; he will love it as well. But I cannot put an offer on it, unless I know Deeks agrees.' Nell took a deep breath.

'Kensi, you know he is undercover and you can't contact him,' she started to argue and Kensi sighed irritated.

'Just…'

'But, I can contact him for you,' Nell finished, not giving Kensi a chance to protest, and Kensi started to smile.

'Thank you, Nell,' she said. 'I owe you one…tell him we miss him.'

'I always do,' Nell smiled.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 29_

Kensi sighed and cursed herself. Already waiting for thirty minutes for their dinner. Why did she not choose to order instead of getting it herself? Of course she used the car ride to think and worry about both Deeks and the adoption procedure. From both she had heard nothing more. Not one simple word. She walked over to the counter.

'How long does it take to prepare a meal?' she asked the waiter annoyed. The guy wiped the sweat of his forehead and shrugged.

'I'm sorry, ma'am,' he said. 'One of my colleagues is sick and we're just not with enough guys right now…and as you can see it's packed tonight…Can I offer you a drink on the house?' Kensi sighed again but she nodded.

'A Coca Cola,' she ordered and the waiter nodded, quickly giving her her drink.

'Isn't this nice; our problem because they've a problem,' the man next to her complained and Kensi smiled at him. He turned to her. 'I have been waiting for forty minutes now…still not even close to getting my food.'

'Luckily for me 'only' thirty minutes,' she said and she took a big gulp of her drink. 'Too bad I have a hungry teenager waiting for me to come home…'

'No hungry boyfriend?' the man smiled and Kensi recognized the eager look in his eyes.

'Also a hungry boyfriend,' she told him. 'But the teenager is the worst.' The man laughed bitterly and drank the remaining beer before ordering another one. Kensi shot a hopeful look into the kitchen, only to see cooks acting like crazy. She was about to grab her phone to call Narah when the door was kicked open and shots were fired. Panic and chaos arose

'Everybody, do not move!' a man yelled and with his gun ready in his hands he jumped on the table. The people in the restaurant stopped moving out of fear and a smile appeared on the man's face. 'Everyone just get down on the floor and do not move unless we tell you so…and you will survive this short visit!'

* * *

All the people in the restaurant had been ordered to sit down on the left sight of the building while the six armed men stood at the counter, whispering softly. One of them stepped forward, the same on who had jumped on the table, and he waved around his gun.

'This dangerous firearm in my hands means  _I_  am in control,' he said. 'All of you just need to listen to me and my guys. First of all I will need all of your cell phones, keys and wallets.' He gestured two of his men to step forward with a bag in their hands. 'You all put them quietly and without a word into the bag…if you do not hand in your phone, you will be shot.' As the two 'bag'-men walked passed everyone, Kensi watched their leader. He was calm, even seemed to whistle, counting the money he had grabbed from the register. He was enjoying this.

'Phone!' one of the bag-men yelled to the woman next to Kensi and he pointed his gun at her head. The woman held her hands up.

'I do not have one,' she whispered.

'We live in two thousand and twelve…everyone has a damn phone!' the man shouted and the woman began to shake violently.

'I ran out of the door without my phone, I swear!' she sobbed. 'I did not bring my phone! I left it at home!' Bag-man turned to the leader, who nodded, and he shot the woman. The woman fell on top of the man behind her, with a blood gushing hole in her head.

'And now you can all see, I  _do not_  joke,' the leader said with amusement in his voice. Bag-man held the bag in front of Kensi and she calmly put her phone, keys

* * *

and wallet in it. The waiter and a cook were the ones who had to drag the woman's body out of the group and dump it outside.

The scared whispers had started in the group as the gunmen didn't give anything away about why they had entered the restaurant. Only the manager had been called to the counter, being joined into the soft talking of the gunmen with a gun pressed against his head. Kensi tried to hear what everyone had to say and meanwhile look around for something that could help her with this situation. Only the ringing of a phone quieted the room. The leader gestured for the bag to be brought over.

'Who is the lucky person being called,' the leader smiled while he searched the bag for the ringing phone. He raised his eyebrows when he found it. 'Narah…lovely name…' Kensi's head shot up. With one glance at the clock she knew Narah must been waiting for an hour now…probably why she called. Kensi stood up as the leader was ready to answer it.

'Your phone, beautiful?' he asked and Kensi nodded. He gestured her to walk over and handed her the phone. 'No funny business.' He pushed the barrel of his gun against her chin and Kensi took a deep breath before answering.

'Hey, Narah…'

'Where are you? Is something wrong with the food?' Kensi took another deep breath and glanced at the leader

'No, no, Narah, I'm…fine…call your uncle G and ask him to come over…okay?'

'Uncle G? Why…'

'Okay, bye Narah. I will come as soon as possible.' Kensi hung up and handed the phone back to the leader. He pushed her back towards the hostages. Kensi ran her hand through her hair. Why did Narah have to call her, right this moment?

* * *

As soon as the red and blue lights started to shine through the window, the leader jumped up, laughing. He pushed the manager towards the restaurant phone. He ordered one of the gunmen to stand beside the shaking man and he himself walked towards the window.

'Okay people,' he announced. 'Time to get started…before I start talking to the cops…does anyone know where I can find Mister Aberdeen…William Aberdeen?' Kensi watched the leader's face closely as no one reacted. Instead of the expected anger, she saw joy in his eyes. She glanced out of the window and recognized Sam's car. Relief hit her. If Sam was here, Callen was and the two of them would solve this. If only there was a way for her to get contact with them…Kensi turned to the waiter she had spoken to before.

'Is there a room in the back which has a door or a window?' she asked him.

'Umm…yes…' he stumbled. 'But you're not going to do anything, right? That guy…that guy is crazy and if you go, he will…' Kensi put her hand on his arm, hoping to calm him down.

'I'm actually a cop and I need a way to contact my colleagues outside,' she told him hurried. People around them turned their heads towards her and she noticed the hope in their eyes. If only she had a gun…

'In the back, second on the left,' he told her. 'It's an area for the staff…the bathrooms are close to it. They have windows as well, looking out onto the parking lot.' Kensi nodded and she stood up once again. The leader smiled at her.

'What is it, lovely?' he asked.

'I need to go to the bathroom,' she told him and the leader glanced at his guys. One of them nodded at him and the leader gave him the gesture to take Kensi to it. Kensi took a few steps closer and waited patiently till her escort joined her.

'You got five minutes,' he told her when they arrived at the bathroom. Kensi smiled at him and opened the door. When she got inside, and her escort stayed outside, she ran to the first stall. Putting down the lid of the toilet, she stepped on the toilet and tried to see if she could open the window. When she succeeded she grabbed the toilet roll and threw it outside, hoping someone would notice. Nervously she waited for the time to get by, glancing at her watch every so often. She grabbed another toilet roll and threw it out, praying it would be found. And she got lucky. An LAPD officer walked over to the second toilet roll and curiously looked around. As he saw Kensi, he waved over Callen and Sam.

'Kens, you okay?' Callen asked worried.

'Yeah, yeah I'm fine,' she answered him hurried, looking over her shoulder at the door. 'I do not have much time. There are six guys in the restaurant, armed. They are looking for William Aberdeen. They already killed one woman...and they are pretty serious. The leader is calm and even seems to enjoy himself...' Kensi took a deep breath after giving Callen and Sam all that she knew. 'Is Narah okay?' Sam nodded.

'She is okay, Kens,' he said. 'Just a little worried.' Her escort started to bang on the door, telling her to hurry up. Kensi wanted to step off the toilet when Callen's hand grabbed her arm.

'Here,' he said to her and he handed her his earpiece. Kensi nodded and put it in her ear. She took a deep breath, flushed the toilet and walked out of the bathroom.

* * *

Kensi sat down with the other hostages and some relief washed over her as she heard Callen, Sam, Eric and Nell talking in her ear. It made the situation a lot better when she knew she wasn't on her own. Even though her team was on the outside. The manager was leaning against the bar while his entire face was bruised and bleeding. The leader seemed to get a little tense and he started to pace. The phone started to ring and the hostages all glanced scared at the leader, wondering what he would do.

'You should answer it...' the manager said slowly and the leader raised his eyebrows.

'What did you say?' he asked and Kensi watched the playfulness return to the leader's eyes. The manager repeated what he had said. 'And why would I answer the phone?'

'It are the cops...' the manager stumbled. 'In...in the shows it are always the cops...' The leader pulled the manager up, who hissed at the sudden movement.

'That is true,' the leader said, 'so why don't you tell those cops to give me Mister Aberdeen within the hour or I will unfortunately have to shoot someone to prove my point.' Kensi watched the manager answering the phone with shaking hands and relay the leader's message to cops.

'Kensi, how big is the leader's threat?' Sam asked and Kensi turned her gaze at the leader, who was smiling.

'You probably have less than an hour to find him before people get killed,' she answered him softly and she got some glances from the people beside her. She gestured them to keep silent. A man bursted into tears when one of the gunmen pushed him forward towards the bar. There the leader put the barrel of his gun against the man's forehead.

'Please...' the man sobbed. 'I have a wife...two young children...they need me...'

'Well, in the fifty-four minutes you still have to live, you can remember those good times with them,' the leader said and he pistol-whipped the man across the face.

* * *

'You got to do something,' the waiter whispered at Kensi as the time passed and he forcefully grabbed her arm, which Kensi immediately pulled away from his grip.

'There isn't anything I can do!' she told him. 'I do not have a gun...'

'If we take them on all at once...we can take them!' a customer said. 'There six of them and ten of us! We should...

You can't!' Kensi said forcefully to him. 'If you want to go home to your wife, you better stay put and quiet! They have weapons and aren't afraid to use them!' The man averted his eyes at his wedding ring.

'Everything okay, Kens?' Callen asked worried over the earpiece.

'Some hero-thoughts start to rise...but otherwise fine,' she whispered. 'Also apart from the fact that within twenty four minutes they will kill someone again. Unless you can deliver Aberdeen...whoever that may be...'

'Eric and Nell are working on it,' was all that Callen said, and he had been saying that for half an hour. Kensi ran a hand over her face. They weren't getting closer to finding Aberdeen...not within the time they were given. She glanced at the unfortunate man, who seemed to be silently praying.

'Boss, something is happening,' a gunman announced as he was looking through the windows. 'Two SUVs have arrived...you think it's him?'

'I'm no psychic, so I can't tell you,' the leader answered. 'You're the one looking out the window, you tell me!'

'Boss, they're moving towards the restaurant!' the gunman reported.

'Okay...you...' he pointed at another gunman, 'go to the roof and shoot when they come too close.' The man nodded and he traded his shotgun for a sniper rifle.

'A sniper...' Kensi mumbled.

'Did you say 'sniper', Kensi?' Sam asked worried and Kensi confirmed. A loud gunshot made her turn around, only to see the unfortunate man fall to the ground, bleeding out through a gaping hole in his forehead. The leader took a deep breath and waved his gun across the group of hostages.

'So who is the next one to die today?' he taunted. 'Anyone feeling lucky?'

* * *

Two customers had dragged the dead body of the man outside, given the chance to flee themselves. The leader had pulled a young woman out of the group and held her next to him.

'We can't let them kill all of us!' the same customer as last time whispered angrily at Kensi. 'What kind of cops are out there? What makes that guy's life more worth than our lives? He probably is a criminal...dealing with those guys.' Kensi turned to the man and looked at him.

'So what is your plan?' she asked him forcefully. 'Attack him while he has guns and you have nothing? All you will achieve is death. Those cops out there are searching for Aberdeen with everything they have...So you need to shut up.' Gunshots and the sound of someone dropping on the roof, silenced everyone and they all glanced up.

'Sniper disabled,' Eric reported. 'SWAT preparing to breach.' Kensi took a relieved breath. But not for long as the leader dragged the young woman towards the door, holding the gun against the back of her head. If SWAT breached...the woman would be dead. So Kensi stood up. The leader looked surprised.

'What is it, beautiful?' he asked her and instead of going to the door, he stepped away from the door. His gun was no longer pointed at the woman's head, but at Kensi's chest. 'Are we going to be a hero, beautiful? You're offering to let me kill you instead of this woman.' Kensi heard Callen count down and she took a step towards the leader. He pushed the woman to the ground.

'Sit down,' he ordered, taking the safety off. Kensi took a deep breath...


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

Chapter 30

Within a blink it was all over. Kensi stood frozen in her spot, looking directly into the leader's eyes, taunting him to pull the trigger. She saw the eagerness in his eyes. Ready to take the shot. In her ear she heard Callen's 'go' and she ducked as the leader pulled the trigger and SWAT breached. Within a blink it was over.

'Kensi?' She felt Callen's hand grabbing her arm and gently pulling her up. She looked at his worried face and she took a shaky breath. Around her the hostages were rushed out of the building and the gunmen were taken into custody. Sam joined them not long after.

'Are you okay, Kensi?' he asked worried and Kensi nodded.

'I'm fine...just wanting to get out of here...' she answered and Callen and Sam smiled. The three of them walked outside. Just two steps out of the building, two arms wrapped Kensi into a hug. Kensi smiled and kissed the top of Narah's head.

'What are you doing here?' she asked after realizing the teenager was at a hostage situation and she turned to Callen and Sam.

'She insisted on being here,' Callen answered. 'It was either Sam picking her up or she would have come by herself.'

'I needed to know if you were okay,' Narah mumbled and Kensi gave her another hug.

'I'm so glad you understood,' she smiled.

'You said you were fine when you called,' Narah said. 'But you're never fine when you say you are...Deeks told me that...'

'Besides, the uncle G made it a little strange as well,' Callen added and Kensi laughed.

'It worked,' she said. 'That is what counts. Now tell me...how is it possible that Eric and Nell couldn't find William Aberdeen?' Callen and Sam glanced at each other and Kensi raised her eyebrows. 'What is going on? Why aren't we looking for Aberdeen?'

'LAPD has the lead in this case,' Callen answered. 'We're called off the case.' An uneasy feeling settled down and she turned to Narah.

'Could you wait in the car?' she asked the teenager, who nodded after a moment of hesitation. As Narah walked away, Kensi turned back to Callen and Sam.

'Tell me what's going on,' she told them.

'LAPD is taking over because Aberdeen is their case to handle,' Callen started to explain. 'Kensi...William Aberdeen is Deeks' alias... he is working in the restaurant for his cover.' Kensi gasped and glanced at the restaurant.

'They were looking for Deeks?' she stumbled. 'Is he okay?'

'He called in sick because something he had to do for his cover,' Callen answered. 'He is okay as far as we know.'

'We need to contact him!' Kensi said and she reached for her phone, which wasn't there. 'I need to know...'

'Nell is already working on getting into contact with him,' Sam told her. 'She will call as soon as she has reached him.'

* * *

Kensi was sitting on the couch, taking slow breaths and stroking Monty's head. Nell had been able to reach Deeks. He was okay. But Kensi needed to hear it from Deeks himself to know for sure. To make it the truth. The leader wanted to find Aberdeen...Deeks...so badly, he took an entire restaurant hostage just to find him. What if Deeks had been working? Would she have lost him? She looked up when she heard Narah walk into the living room.

'Hey,' she said softly. 'What are you doing still up? You should get some sleep...'

'So should you,' Narah noted and Kensi nodded.

'Well, it seems like we're both not that sleepy,' she said and Narah sat down on the couch, turning her attention to Monty.

'Deeks was involved, wasn't he?' Narah asked while keeping her gaze on the dog. Kensi took a deep breath.

'Yes he was,' she answered, deciding to be honest with her. 'But he is okay...he was away and didn't even know what was happening.' She gently stroked Narah's head. 'Don't worry about it now...' As she looked at Narah, she realized how stupid she had been stepping in front of the gun. Narah could have lost her this evening...and she was worrying about Deeks. She could have died in that restaurant if SWAT had not breached when they did. Then Narah would have been alone...without a way to reach Deeks. She was stupid for risking her life just like that.

'Maybe we should watch a movie,' Kensi said and Narah finally looked at her. 'A simple comedy...with some popcorn.' With a weak smile, Narah nodded.

* * *

Julia and Kensi watched Narah set the table for them and running back into the kitchen, checking on the dinner she had prepared. Julia had been cooking with Narah a lot last couple of weeks and now Narah insisted on doing it herself.

'You know, you're never allowed to get the take-out yourself,' Julia told Kensi and she stroked her arm. 'Next time if you don't want to cook, you call me and I will bring over some food.' Kensi smiled at her mother.

'I will, mom,' she promised. 'I don't think I will getting take-out myself anytime soon...Being in danger while on the job is okay...but not when I'm trying to feed my daughter...that reminds me...' Kensi shifted uncomfortably, no longer knowing how to continue. Her mother glanced patiently at her.

'What is it, Kensi?' she asked. Kensi took a deep breath.

'Can you promise me that you will take care of Narah...if something would happen to me or Deeks?' she asked carefully and before she knew it, her mother had pulled her into a hug.

'Of course I will take care of Narah,' she answered. 'But nothing is going to happen to you or Marty that makes you unable to take care of Narah. You protect each other...'

'Well, not right now,' Kensi slowly replied and Julia pulled away, holding Kensi's face between her hands.

'Kensi Marie Blye, do not worry about Deeks,' she slowly said. 'I might not know Marty that well, but I know he will do whatever to come back home safely...come back to you and Narah.' Kensi smiled at her mother.

'Thank you, mom,' she said and Julia pulled her close again, laughing this time.

'Worrying so much causes grey hairs,' she joked, making Kensi laugh as well. When Narah walked into the living room to announce dinner was ready, she looked confused at the two women hugging and laughing.

* * *

'We found this perfect house,' Narah told her friends enthusiastically. 'Three bedrooms, awesome kitchen, a garden...with a pool! Perfect state, as the realtor told us...but of course, we already had so much luck in life...the house was a little too perfect and is already sold!'

'No way!' Ivan said. 'That really sucks, Narah!'

'Also not being able to show it to Deeks doesn't make the search any easier,' Narah noted.

'How long is his trip?' Ming asked. 'He has been gone since like...forever!'

'Almost three weeks now...' Narah said and she shrugged. 'He will come back whenever he comes back. Depending on how the course goes, I guess. So until then we will not buy a house...'

'Ah, you will get a house eventually,' Ivan said. 'A great house with enough space for us to hang out all day.' Narah started to laugh.

'Yeah, Kensi and Deeks will like that,' she said. 'Three extra teenagers in the house.' Ivan, Emily and Ming started to laugh as well. 'Well, if you could share, there is enough space.'

'Oh, I am not sharing a room,' Emily objected. 'I had to fight off my brothers and sisters to have my own room in our home...so I'm keeping it that way. I will not go down...sorry Narah, doesn't seem like I will be moving in with you anytime soon.'

'Well, we would have to find a house first,' Narah said. 'And Miss Rooney has to approve the house as well for the adoption.'

'How is that going?' Emily asked and Narah shrugged.

'I guess it is going,' she elaborated. 'After the house visit, we heard nothing...'

* * *

A hurried Nell came closer to Kensi's desk, but never reached it. She signaled Kensi to come with her, which Kensi immediately did. They hurried to the ladies' bathroom. Nell checked if they were alone and she handed Kensi a piece of paper.

'If you log in tonight...there will be an e-mail from Deeks,' she said hurried. 'The e-mails are secured and unreadable for others who do not have the right e-mail addresses or passwords.' Kensi stared at the piece of paper, at the letters that formed her connection to Deeks. Finally she would be able to speak to him.

'Thanks, Nell,' she mumbled and the tech smiled.

'Being the messenger is not what I imagined,' Nell said. 'So this way, you no longer need to use me to contact Deeks...oh...you can only log in at eight o'clock pm...and only for an hour. It was the only way to secure it. It gets shutdown by itself after an hour.'

'An hour is much better than no contact at all,' Kensi smiled and she hugged Nell. 'Again, thank you so much!' She folded the paper and placed it in her pocket. They walked out of the bathroom and near the desks, they split ways. As Kensi sat down, she couldn't help but to smile. Her hand slowly went to her pocket and rested on top of it. Finally after two weeks and four days she could speak to him. And it made her feel better than she had felt in a long time. She missed him. It had become so much quieter at Ops.

'Kensi, wipe that smile of your face before people start thinking something is off,' Callen told her, breaking the chain of thoughts and Kensi looked up. Both Callen and Sam were looking at her. She took a deep breath and grabbed the files that were resting on her desk.

Fern,

I was so glad to hear that you are okay and I'm sorry you had to find out like

that. I hope our little girl is doing well. I don't know when you get to read this,

and if you have the chance to reply, but just know I love you two. More than

anything in the world. And I miss you two every day.

Fern, please go dance with our girl in the morning (like I used to do with her),

take her to the beach, let Julia cook for you and tell her I will come home as soon

as possible.

I love you so much!

Kensi could feel the tears well up in her eyes as she read his short but sweet message to them. She read the message over and over till it was burned into her memory. When she realized she had only thirty minutes to reply to him, she quickly started to write. But the right words were hard to find. She did not want him to worry about them, but she also wanted to tell him how much they missed him. Missed his jokes, his love...everything. As the time passed, she had only written half of the thing she wanted to say. And not even given Narah the chance to see what Deeks had wrote to them.

'Narah!' she shouted and the teenager came hurried out of her room, looking questioningly at her. Kensi pointed at the screen. 'Deeks send us a message...' She had not finished the sentence and Narah was already standing next to her, eyes glued on the screen.

'He called me "his little girl",' Narah beamed up and Kensi put her arm around the girl's waist.

'Well you are our little girl,' Kensi said and Narah's smile grew bigger. 'But tell me, what kind of traditions did you and Deeks behind my back? Your secret little time together.' Narah laughed and turned to her.

'Secrets got to stay secret, right?' she joked and Kensi shook her head laughing. Then she noticed the time.

'Oh, we only have till nine o'clock,' she told Narah. 'So if you want to write something to Deeks, you better do it now.' Kensi gave Narah the chance to sit down and she headed to the kitchen. To give Narah some privacy writing to Deeks. And to get some leverage to get Narah spill about the secret traditions she had with Deeks. She smiled. Deeks and Narah had their own things...like she used to have with her dad. They were truly turning into a little family of their own. As Kensi walked to Narah, carrying two bowls of ice cream, Narah turned around, with a big smile when she noticed the ice cream.

'Why does everybody think ice cream is good leverage?' she asked smiling and Kensi gestured to sit down on the couch.

'It's not leverage,' she lied and Narah laughed while taking one of the bowls. 'I was just curious about it...because I never noticed.' The girl shrugged.

'Maybe you're not that good at detecting,' she joked and Kensi raised her eyebrows.

'You definitely spend plenty of time with Deeks,' she said. 'Though I'm not a detective so I do not really need to detect...'

'You're a special agent,' Narah replied. 'You're an agent who is special...you would expect them to be good at detecting.' Kensi shook her head laughing and she stroked Narah's hair.

'What is the story behind that name...Fern?' Narah asked curiously after eating ice cream in silence. Kensi smiled.

'Well, that was one undercover night when Deeks decided to come up with a name for me...to give me a reason to go after a girl,' she started to tell.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 31_

'Narah! Get out of your bed now!' Kensi yelled in the direction of the teenager's room once again. 'Shower and breakfast! Now! We leave in half an hour!' Contently she heard the door open and footsteps on the floor. Soon Narah appeared in the view. She looked very tired and her hair and pajamas were all messed. Kensi put the plate down.

'Bad night?' she asked and Narah shrugged.

'I do not feel so good,' she answered and Kensi sighed. She walked over to the girl and stroked her head.

'You can't miss another day of school, sweetie,' she told her. 'I'm sorry…Just go to school and if you keep feeling bad, you can ask Julia to pick you up, okay?' Narah nodded and dragged herself to the bathroom. Kensi watched her walk away and texted her mother, telling her that Narah might be calling her to pick her up earlier. Then she drank the last bit of her coffee and knocked on the bathroom door.

'Narah, shower time is over!' she said through the door. 'Come and eat your breakfast.' The shower was turned off and Kensi walked to the living room to sit on the couch, waiting for Narah. Monty walked over and put his head on her knee. Kensi scratched the dog behind his ear.

'I don't feel like eating breakfast,' Narah said as she walked in, fully dressed and with brushed hair.

'Try to eat some yogurt or fruit instead, then,' Kensi suggested. 'You have to eat something before going to school.' Narah plumped down on the chair. Kensi walked over and put her hand on Narah's forehead.

'What are you doing?' Narah asked confused.

'Umm…checking your temperature,' Kensi answered as she took her hand away. 'Your forehead doesn't feel warm…so that's supposed to mean you do not have a fever…'

'How did you come up with that?' Narah asked. 'I just came out of the shower…I don't think there would be any use feeling my forehead…you have a thermometer to check someone's temperature.' Kensi smiled.

'Well I do not have one…' she told her, 'and I'm sure that if Deeks had one, I have no idea where he would have put it.' Narah's head turned a little sad when Kensi mentioned Deeks' name and Kensi took a deep breath.

'Deeks is fine,' she said and Narah nodded.

'I just miss him.'

'I miss him too, Narah…now grab an apple because we have to go before we arrive late at school and work!'

* * *

During the day Kensi kept checking her phone to see if either Narah or Julia had tried to call her. She had to admit she was worried about Narah, and if she was able to, she would have kept Narah at home. But schooldays were important and Narah already missed a lot. And then they had a meeting with Social Services later on the day. Today they would both be interviewed about…probably everything. Kensi was nervous. This was the moment she could screw up. She would rather be put in a shooting than trying to answer questions. If only she had just an easy job.

'Kensi, I do not think you can miss a call,' Sam noted as she grabbed her phone once again. 'You have been checking it every three minutes.' Kensi sighed.

'Expecting a call?' Callen asked.

'I hope not,' she answered. 'It's just…Narah wasn't feeling so good this morning and I still sent her to school. I told her to call Julia if it became too much.'

'Probably just a little school sick,' Sam told her. 'It happens. Usually when they are at school, they feel a lot better.' Kensi nodded with a weak smile and she opened her email. It had become a habit, even though she knew there would be no new e-mails. But it felt good to look and feel the excitement of the very small possibility there was one. Over the week they had gotten an email from Deeks almost every day. Finally they had some contact with him again. Usually the emails were short and said the same each time, but it was contact and that was what counted for her and Narah.

* * *

'Will you pretty, pretty, please with a cherry on the top, go with me to the mall after school?' Emily begged, practically on her knees. Narah couldn't help but laugh, even though she wasn't really feeling like going to mall. But then again it had been a while since she and Emily had some alone time.

'I will have to ask…' Narah couldn't finish her sentence before she had a squealing Emily in her ear.

'Thank you!' Emily said and she hugged Narah. 'My mom said I could only go if I went with someone…so I wouldn't come home with junk…like I have money for junk.' Money…Narah realized she didn't have any money. Usually if she needed something like clothes, Deeks and Kensi bought it for her. She didn't have her own money. It was strange to realize that. It was the first time she went to the mall with Emily when she was actual being taken care of, and still she had no money for her own. Maybe she could borrow some money from Julia, when she would come to pick her up.

'We will have to convince Julia,' Narah said and Emily nodded. 'But she will probably be okay with it, and might even bring us to the mall.' Emily squealed again and Narah started to laugh again. It would be nice spending some more time with Emily.

'Oh God, please don't tell me you have a mall date with Emily,' Ivan joked when he joined their table. 'That squeal can only mean shopping time.'

'It's just some very much needed girl time,' Emily smiled.

'I feel for you,' Ivan said to Narah, eyes twinkling.

'I will survive,' Narah told him. 'In some way…' Emily playfully hit her arm.

'Hey, we will have tons of fun!' she said, acting strictly. Then she turned to Ivan. 'You can come along…it would be nice to have a bag carrier.'

'I would rather die,' Ivan told her and he stuck his tongue out to her. All three started to laugh and got some warning looks from the teacher supervising the room. Friends were a good thing to have, Narah thought as she looked at her two best friends.

* * *

Narah sat on the very uncomfortable chair in the waiting room. Why were those chairs so uncomfortable? She kept glancing at the door which Kensi had entered from the interview. They would want to talk to Narah as well, so Narah was stuck waiting till they came for her. She didn't get why a place where children came and went they did not have any magazines for children. There was no way she was interested in the economic changes of the day.

'So what did you do to get called into the office?' the boy next to her asked with a joking smile on his face.

'I managed to get adopted,' she answered him and the boy raised his eyebrows.

'Yay for you…' he said sarcastically. 'They always promise adoption, but never grant it…it is a strange world with this Social Service. Not very social at all.'

'What do you know about it?'

'Oh, been almost adopted three times now…but each time there was a reason why they changed their minds or got rejected. Luckily I have only two more years before I can get away from their hold and figure out my own thing, like I have always done.' Narah looked at him. He was wearing baggy jeans and a very loosely fit T-shirt, leaning in the chair like he didn't have a care in the world. She used to sit like that when she was sent into this room, waiting for the next address to live. It was like you were only nervous when you had gotten the chance to get away from the system. Only then you had a reason to be stressed.

'Narah, if you could follow me?' a woman asked. Narah remembered that her name was Sophia. She had talked with her before. Narah nodded at her and got up from her chair. Before walking off, she turned to the boy.

'My parents will not change their mind,' she told him and the boy shrugged.

'Keep believing that, girly,' he told her.

* * *

'How have you and Mister Deeks experienced taking care of Narah?' Miss Rooney asked. 'Much trouble?'

'Well we took her in under difficult circumstances,' Kensi answered. 'So it has not been always easy, but when it comes to the taking care, it hasn't been much trouble. Narah does have things she has to deal with. But we try to help her with everything.' Miss Rooney nodded and it seemed like a content nod.

'During the house visit you told me that you have been looking for a new place to live; has there been progress in the search?'

'Umm…we found a place we loved but before we could do an offer…the house was sold to another family. So we're still looking for a place to live. But living in Deeks' apartment is good enough for the time being…at least I think.' Miss Rooney smiled reassuring at her.

'Could you tell me a little bit more about your daily routine?' she asked and Kensi took a moment to think about it.

'Well in the morning either Deeks or I make breakfast ready while the other wakes up Narah,' she started to tell. 'We bring her to school together and then go to work, together since we're partners. My mother picks her up after school and Narah stays there till we finish working. Depending on the day we eat dinner at my mother's or at Deeks' place.' Miss Rooney nodded and Kensi wished she replied to the answers she was giving. Instead of writing them down.

'I do have a question about your work,' Miss Rooney said and some fear rose in Kensi. 'I received the documents from your boss and I was wondering about the risks with the job…'

'Being in law enforcement is not the safest job, I'm not denying that,' Kensi answered. 'But we do whatever we can to come home to Narah every day. We're trying to make the world a safer place for her to live in. She has been in contact with our line of work…as you're aware of. We have a great team behind us…' As she took a moment to take a breath, she saw Miss Rooney smile.

'Miss Blye, I am sure you do whatever to get back home to Narah,' the woman said. 'It is very clear to me that you care about Narah. But what I'm concerned about is what's going to happen to Narah when you do not succeed in coming home safely?'

'I asked my mother to take care of Narah when something happens to me and Deeks. And she agreed on taking care of Narah.'

'Your mother, Julia Feldmen,' Miss Rooney asked and Kensi nodded. 'Is it true that you hadn't had contact with her for fifteen years until about a year ago?'

'That is correct,' Kensi answered. 'But my mother and I have reconnection and our relationship is strong. She also cares about Narah a lot.' Once again Miss Rooney nodded and she wrote something down.

'I read that in your mother's reference letter,' she said and Kensi smiled a little. 'All the reference letters were positive towards you and Mister Deeks. That you were starting, but good parents to Narah.'

* * *

It took the day too long to get to eight o'clock. Kensi sat by herself in the apartment, next to the computer, waiting for the last half hour to pass. Narah had gone back to Emily's place after the meeting with Social Services, hopefully enjoying herself. Narah had told Kensi she had gone to the mall with her friends. The mall…not a place where Kensi had pictured Narah wanting to spend a day. But as long she was with friends and having fun, it was okay with her. And she was having a great time. Or so it seemed when she had asked Kensi if she could stay a little longer at Emily's place. Kensi wondered if Narah had actually forgotten about their eight o'clock ritual. Maybe it was because the girl was used to not seeing the ones she cared about. Maybe it was a defend system kicking in. So Kensi sat alone in front of the computer, waiting for the moment she could access her account and see Deeks' email. Even Monty seemed to know about the ritual as he lay down on the floor beside her as eight o'clock came closer.

**My Fern**

**So relieved to hear each time that you girls are doing okay. That is what get me**

**through each day. That is all that matters to me. Time is passing. Soon I will be**

**seeing you two again. Soon I will be able to hold you again. I promise you that.**

**As always, I love and miss you two!**

A smile was glued on Kensi's face. Each night she dreamed about the moment she could hold Deeks again. Really be with him again. Days took so long to pass without him around her. While she was writing a reply to tell him about the meeting with Social Services, her phone started to vibrate. Expecting it to be Narah, she answered it. But it was not the call she wanted nor expected. After the phone call ended, she called Julia, with her heart beating rapidly.

'Kensi, why are you calling? I thought…'

'Mom, I need you to pick up Narah from Emily's place and bring her to Pacific Beach Medical, right now!'

'Oh God…did something happen to Marty?'

'Mom…can you just pick her up?'

'Of course, but Kensi…'

'I got to go!' Kensi quickly hung up and as she hurried over to her car, she called Hetty to tell her the news as well.

* * *

Kensi was pacing back and forth in the waiting area of the hospital. They were still working on him. She still couldn't see him. She turned around when she heard her name being called and she saw Julia hurrying towards her, followed by Narah. Julia pulled her immediately into a hug and Kensi had to fight her tears.

'He's going to be okay,' Julia whispered softly in her ear while stroking her hair. As Julia released her, she looked at her. 'Have they told you anything yet?' Kensi shook her head and she looked at Narah who was standing like a lost girl in front of her. Kensi pulled her close against her and held her.

'They are still working on him…and Bates still has to come,' she told Julia. 'Callen and Sam are on their way as well…but…no one is telling me anything…' Julia stroked her hair again.

'He will be okay, sweetie,' she assured her. 'Marty is a strong guy and…'

'Kensi, what happened?!' Callen asked as soon as he walked into the waiting area with Hetty and Sam. Kensi ran a hand through her hair.

'I don't know…' she stumbled. 'No one can tell me anything and…'

'We will ask around,' Sam told her and he gently squeezed her arm before heading towards the nurses' station. Hetty was already on her phone, involved in what seemed like an angrily conversation. Kensi turned her head towards the door, wanting a doctor to come out and tell her Deeks would be okay. He had to be okay. It didn't take long before a doctor finally walked towards them.

'Family of Mister Aberdeen?' he asked.

'I'm his girlfriend and his next of kin,' Kensi told the doctor and he nodded.

'I'm doctor Jacobs and I'm the one who treated Mister Aberdeen when he was brought into the ER,' he started to tell. 'Mister Aberdeen sustained a concussion and several cracked ribs. For the beating he received, he is a lucky man. It could have been a lot worse. He is still unconscious but we expect him to wake up soon.'

'Can we see him?' Kensi asked worried.

'Yes you can,' doctor Jacobs answer, 'but for now only two at the time.' Kensi turned to her mother and team, who all nodded. She glanced down at Narah, whose gaze was fixated on the doctor. She nodded at the doctor and followed him with Narah by her side.

'Here is his room,' doctor Jacobs said and he opened at the door. Narah stopped in her tracks when they saw Deeks lying in the hospital bed, with his eyes closed.

'It's okay,' Kensi whispered at Narah but the girl started to shake her head. Before Kensi could say anything else, Narah's eyes rolled back and the girl fell down.

* * *

Narah felt soft taps against her cheeks and a hand holding her own hand. She slowly opened her eyes, blinked a few times and Kensi's concerned face appeared in front of her. When she looked to her side, doctor Jacobs smiled weakly at her.

'Welcome back,' he said to her. Kensi helped her sit up and Narah looked at her.

'What happened?' she asked.

'You fainted when you saw Deeks,' Kensi answered while she stroked her hair. 'It was a bit too much for you…' Narah's eyes shifted from Kensi's face to Deeks' bed.

'Do you think you can stand up?' doctor Jacobs and Narah nodded. 'Okay, carefully.' With the support of Kensi and doctor Jacobs, Narah was soon standing on her feet again. Kensi grabbed a chair so Narah could sit down next to the bed, looking at a sleeping Deeks. Thinking about the fact she actually fainted in front of Kensi and the doctor. She actually felt ashamed about it. She never fainted before and especially not in front of anyone.

'I have to go, but if you have any question you just page me,' doctor Jacobs said and Narah looked up at him. 'Take it easy; stay in the chair, but I think you will be fine. The emotions probably got a little bit too much.' He smiled reassuring and left the room.

'Are you sure you're feeling okay?' Kensi asked worried while she crouched down next to her.

'Yeah, I feel okay,' Narah answered her. 'I think I got a little too emotional…like the doctor said. It was just a shock seeing him.' They both turned their head to Deeks, who had a couple of bruises and cuts on his face and arms. Kensi stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 32_

A touch on her hand woke Kensi up and her eyes immediately went to Deeks, who was actually smiling at her. She smiled back and kissed him carefully. As she pulled back, she glanced at Narah, who was sleeping in the other chair.

'How are you feeling?' she asked him.

'I'm okay,' Deeks answered and he winced as he tried to push himself up a little. 'Just bruised and sore…nothing I can't manage. How are you two?' Kensi sighed and she watched Narah. Deeks followed her gaze. 'What happened to her?'

'She fainted when she saw you,' Kensi answered. 'But the doctor said she was okay…that it was probably the shock of seeing you...like this...' His thumb was gently stroking the back of her hand. She had missed his touch.

'I'm glad to be back with you two,' he said to her and she smiled at him. 'I have missed you girls so much.'

'We missed you too,' Kensi said to him. 'It has been a couple of long weeks.'

'Sure been,' he said. 'It has been lonely as well.' A little smirk appeared on his face and Kensi rolled with her eyes. At least it meant he was indeed doing okay. 'Now tell me all about your meeting with Miss Rooney. I want to hear every detail. Are we doing any good in the parent department?'

'I think we're doing okay,' Kensi answered him. 'She asked about how we have been experiencing taking care of Narah, about our daily routine and of course about work...but I think it went okay. She smiled.'

'She did?' Narah asked behind them and both turned around. The girl looked sleepy but happy. Deeks reached for her and she stepped closer. He pulled her into a hug and gave her a kiss on her cheek.

'I missed dancing with you,' he whispered and he felt Narah nod into his shoulder. She let him go and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at him. Deeks smiled at her. 'These lovely colors will fade away...doesn't even really hurt...Don't worry about it.'

* * *

When Kensi walked back into Deeks' room, he was sitting upright, enjoying his provided hospital meal. When he saw her, he threw his Jell-O at her. Kensi shook her head laughing but eagerly started eating. She had just dropped Narah of at school, after promising her that Julia would take her to Deeks after school and that Kensi would text an update every two hours.

'Deeks, we need to talk about Narah,' Kensi said when she put the empty container away. 'We haven't been exactly handling it well...I think...we handled her situation and all she went through like we would handle it...and clearly not talking about it is not the way for her.' Deeks nodded.

'So we should talk more with her,' Deeks said. 'About all that happened.' Kensi looked down at her hands.

'I think we're not fit for that,' she told him. 'Not anymore...she might need real help...professional help...Doctor Jacobs discussed it with me...'

'You think so?' he asked and Kensi slowly nodded.

'Deeks, we do not talk about our feelings,' she said to him. 'We keep everything inside...we have always been like that. Talking is definitely not our strong fort...and I really think Narah needs someone she really can speak too...also about us.'

'Narah does like to be the tough kid in front of us,' he agreed. 'She was ashamed for fainting. I could see that when I ask her about it. So we should ask her if she would want to speak to someone...'

'Maybe we just have to bring her someday,' Kensi said. 'I mean, if we ask she will probably say no, even if she actually wants it.'

'Maybe we should ask Miss Rooney about it,' Deeks suggested. 'She has been Narah's caseworker for a long time now. Narah doesn't like her but she does know Narah.' Kensi nodded.

'I will call her this afternoon,' she said. 'At what time will you be allowed to leave the hospital?'

'Probably this afternoon,' Deeks answered and Kensi smiled. 'I will finally come home again. No more lonely nights.' Kensi playfully punched him into his arm.

* * *

Narah was looking impatiently at the clock in front of the class. Watching closely how the time was passing by. She had no clue what the teacher was talking about. It should be about Science because this was her Science class, but Narah could not concentrate on anything else than the clock. Soon she would be able to come home and if everything went well - and she knew it was going well by Kensi's two-hourly-updates - Deeks would finally be home again.

'Stop smiling,' Ivan whispered at her, pulling her from her thought. 'You're making Mister Navarro uneasy. He keeps looking down to see if something's wrong with his clothes.' Narah could hardly contain her laugh and she quickly averted her gaze to her books. Ivan nudged her. 'You can't just be smiling like that and not tell  _me_  what's going on.'

'Deeks is coming home this afternoon,' Narah smiled and Ivan started to smile as well.

'That is about time!' he replied. 'He was away since...well like forever!'

'I know!' Narah said. 'And then he ends up in the hos...' Narah stopped herself from finishing that sentence and she looked at Ivan with wide eyes. He was looking questioningly at her. He had heard the sentence and probably put it together. How could she explain Deeks ending up in the hospital if he was supposed to be away for business! She turned back to her empty page in her notebook, pretending to be actually listening for once. Luckily Ivan was his amazing self and he let it rest. Narah shot a quick glance at him and he smiled reassuring to her. She couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

'I'm sorry,' Deeks told Callen and Sam. 'I can't give you a reason for these guys to decide to use me as their personal punching bag. They just told me to come over and when I came, the punches and kicks started...no explanation given. I do not even know why they kept me alive. If my cover was blown they would have killed me...' Callen and Sam glanced at each other and that moment Deeks was glad that neither Kensi nor Narah were in the room while he had to answer the questions. He had seen that his undercover operation had taken a toll on both of them. But it would be the last long undercover operation. This was his last LAPD operation. From now on he would be a NCIS agent.

'We talked to Eric and Nell and they couldn't find a reason either,' Sam told him. 'As far as they know the background was solid enough to withstand a very thorough search and they couldn't find a leak.'

'So I was beaten up for no reason,' Deeks concluded. 'It must have been just my lucky day. Maybe I should go back and ask them...'

'You should go home and spend some time with Kensi and Narah,' Sam said and Callen nodded in agreement. 'Those two missed you.' Deeks smiled.

'Well, I missed them too,' he said. 'And I am happy to be able to go home again. Spend time on finding us a place to live.'

'Knowing Hetty she will find some paperwork for you to fill in,' Callen smiled. 'And probably LAPD has more than enough paperwork to be filled in.' That moment Deeks realized he never had the chance to tell Callen and Sam that he was going to be a NCIS agent. Kensi knew because she witnessed him signing the papers and Hetty knew because first of all she is Hetty and secondly he had had to hand them in to her.

'Maybe I can get a start on my agent training,' he said with a little smirk on his lips. Callen and Sam's eyebrows went up in surprise.

'We got you fully on board now?' Callen asked and Deeks nodded.

'That was about time,' Sam said smiling.

* * *

Deeks was just settled onto the couch when the front door of his apartment was thrown open and Narah stormed inside. When she reached him, she slowed down and she carefully hugged him. Julia came through the door not long after Narah, with a smile on her face.

'I'm glad you're home,' she whispered in his ear and then she let him go. She casually walked to her bedroom. Julia walked over to him and hugged him as well.

'Good to see you again, Marty,' she greeted him.

'Thank you,' he replied and Julia walked over to Kensi to hug her daughter.

'I will leave you three alone now and give you some time to catch up,' Julia said soon after greeting both of them. 'I'm sure you all have plenty to discuss and I was just dropping Narah off.'

'Oh, you don't have to go, mom,' Kensi said and she headed over to her mother. 'You can stay! Do you want some tea?'

'No, sweetheart,' Julia declined smiling. 'I'm going again. I will hear all about it tomorrow and maybe we should have dinner together again. So that we can catch up...but today should be your day...back to being a family.' Kensi hugged her mother and Julia walked out of the apartment.

'Do you think this could be the time to talk to Narah?' Deeks ask. 'About therapy I mean...She seemed happy when she walked in and I'm feeling up for a heated discussion.' Kensi looked worried at him and Deeks took her hand.

'You think she will become angry at us for asking her about therapy?' she asked worried and Deeks shook his head, before nodding.

'She might get a little angry,' he answered honestly, 'because she is used to no one caring about her and to having to deal with her life by herself. But she will see...eventually...that this could be a good thing for her. To be able to discuss everything and learn how to deal with it. So that she can go on with her life. Start a little more fresh...once we get a new place.' Kensi smiled and she kissed her carefully.

* * *

Deeks, Kensi and Narah were sitting at the table and it made Narah think about the evening they were making rules. Rules that were not really followed but having them was a good thing. But sitting like this, Narah knew something serious was about to be discussed so she felt nervous. Deeks and Kensi glanced at each other several times while they sat in silence.

'So...' Narah started, hoping to start the conversation. 'Why are we sitting at the table and not on the couch?' Kensi took a deep breath and Deeks nodded encouragingly at her.

'We would like to know how you were feeling about all that happened the last couple of months,' Kensi said very carefully and Narah looked questioningly at them. Where were they going with this?

'We just want to know...whether you have been dealing with the many things that have happened to you,' Deeks tried to clear it up. 'You have been in a rollercoaster...umm...your friends were murdered...and because you're a witness, your life became in danger...you got to live with us...and we know that hasn't been perfect...umm you found your mother...and...that is a lot.' Hearing the last couple of months being summed up, Narah had to swallow away the lump that had been forming in her throat. Not many people had this in their life and she just had them in the last couple of months. Kensi reached for her hand and Narah realized she had not answered them. That she had been looking in silence at them.

'Umm...it's...ff...okay,' she managed to get out. Her voice was shaking and for some reason, which she did not understand herself, she was close to tears. 'Whhh...why do you ask?' Kensi glanced worried at Deeks and he took a deep breath.

'Because...we know we're not perfect at talking about what happened and the feelings it brings along,' he explained. 'And you might need someone who is good at that...so we...umm...'

'...were wondering if you wanted...umm...talk to someone,' Kensi finished for him.

'Like a shrink?' Narah asked, making it sound harsher than she intended and she saw the worried glance Deeks and Kensi shared. She took a moment to think about it but from the moment they suggested it, her mind had been made up. She looked at Deeks and Kensi who were anxiously waiting for her reaction. 'I think I wouldn't mind talking to someone...' She saw the relief wash over their faces and both took a relieved breath. And it was true. She didn't think it was bad to talk to someone who knew what they were talking about.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 33_

Deeks woke up with a smile on his face, despite the pain he was feeling. That didn't matter. What mattered was that the one he loved was lying in his arms. Having Kensi in his arms, Deeks really felt at home. He placed a careful kiss on her forehead and Kensi began to stir. She blinked a few times and then she looked up at him.

'I missed waking up like this,' she said to him, sounding sleepy. He leaned towards her and kissed her on her lips. He had missed it as well. He gently started to stroke her hair and Kensi stroked his jaw.

'What are you thinking about?' she asked and Deeks tried to take a deep breath without feeling too much pain in his ribs.

'I'm sorry about the situation in the restaurant,' he answered her. 'Even when I'm far away from you, I managed to get you in danger...you shouldn't have been in that restaurant...you never pick up food...' To his surprise Kensi smiled at him. When he looked questioningly at her, she sat up.

'Deeks, it wasn't your fault,' she told him. 'How would you have know that those guys would come looking for you? You were undercover. There is always danger in this world...besides I only got almost shot.' Deeks pulled her back into his arms again and he kissed her again.

'Still, I am sorry,' he whispered at her. 'And I was scared when I heard about it because I could not reach you...I wasn't there to have your back, like I am supposed to.'

'And from now on you will always have my back, agent Deeks,' Kensi joked and Deeks started to laugh.

* * *

'So, Narah, can you tell me a little bit about yourself?' doctor Jordana Beckman asked and Narah watched her. She was dressed neatly, hair neatly pulled back into a ponytail...everything about her was kind of perfect. She looked like how Narah had imagined shrinks would look. When the question was repeated, Narah took a deep breath and looked Jordana - as the woman wanted to be called - in the eyes.

'I'm fifteen...just a normal teen I guess,' Narah answered. 'I'm still in school and like basketball.' Jordana nodded slowly. Narah started to look around in the office. It was also very neat. Also very perfect. Only the chair you could lie on...the ones you see in cartoons...was missing in this office. Narah was just sitting in a normal chair, opposite of Jordana.

'What about your parents?' Jordana asked and Narah shrugged.

'About which ones?' she asked. 'My biological parents or my real parents?'

'Let's start with your biological parents. What can you tell me about them?'

'My father died when I was seven and my mom left me when I was eight. That's all there is to tell about them.'

'I would imagine there is more to tell about them. What were their names?'

'William and Alice Monero...' Jordana gave a little nod.

'Hmm...What did your father do for work?'

'He was a firefighter until he started to use drugs and screwed up his own life.'

'Sounds like he was a brave man...'

'What is brave about turning into a junkie who sells his own kid's dinner just so that he could get more drugs? What is brave about ending up on the couch in a dark messy apartment with the needle still stuck in his arm? I find nothing brave about that!' Jordana nodded and folded her hands.

'I read that you found him dead one day. That must have been a terrible experience, finding your own father like that...but what about the happy memories? Can you tell me about a memory of your father like you would have wanted to remember him?'

'No.' Narah crossed her arms. She could be short about that. Jordana nodded.

'Okay, you don't have to tell about it...can you tell me about your mother...Alice?'

'No.' Another nod from Jordana.

'Then can you tell me something about what you called "your real parents"?'

'Their names are Marty Deeks and Kensi Blye...they are Special Agents and they took me in because I was a witness kind of willing to talk...and I ended up staying with them. They are going to adopt me. They want me as their official daughter...'

'Sounds to me that you really like them.' This time Narah nodded and Jordana smiled. 'You said they're Special Agents...that can't be an easy job. A job with a lot of risks...'

'They still take better care of me than my biological parents or other foster parents. They always try everything to come home at night and to keep me safe!' Jordana put her hands up.

'It wasn't no criticism...it's just a fact right? Being a Special Agent is a risky job...are you ever afraid that despite their best effort they won't be getting home?' Narah looked up at the clock. When was this session over? Would it be an hour session? Or would it take as long as it took for Narah to answer all the questions? Jordana brought her out of her thoughts by calling her name. 'Narah...can you tell me about your friends? Who is your best friend?'

'My best friends are Emily and Ivan,' she answered, even smiling when she mentioned Ivan. 'He is always there for me and Emily is such a crazy fun girl. We always have fun.' Jordana nodded and listened while Narah told her more about her friends.

* * *

A few days later Deeks and Kensi were looking at Narah who was walking through the house, instead of looking at the actual house themselves.

'Does she look okay to you?' Kensi asked worried while Narah walked into the garden. Deeks took Kensi's hand and guided her to the garden as well. Their realtor walked over to them with a smile.

'Seems like your daughter likes the house,' she said. 'How about you two?' Deeks and Kensi turned their head towards the house behind them. It was a beautiful three bedroom house, a great living area with an open kitchen. It could be the place to start their family life.

'We like it as well,' Deeks answered and they could see the excitement in the realtor's eyes. She was probably very happy to be rid of them. They hadn't been very easy when it came to buying a house.

'It just came out on the market,' she told them. 'If you put an offer down now, I'm pretty sure you will get the house.' Narah joined them and Deeks put his arm around her shoulder.

'What do you think, Narah?' he asked. 'Is this our house?' Narah nodded enthusiastically and Deeks smiled at their realtor. 'You see it. This will be our house. We would like to but an offer down.' The realtor nodded and immediately grabbed her phone.

'I will try and see if we can get below the asking price,' she said and Deeks, Kensi and Narah looked nervously at each other. If all went well, they would be living here. It didn't take the realtor long to return to them, with a big smile on her face.

'They accepted,' she told them. 'Only the contract needs to be signed and you will be the proud owners of this beautiful house.' Narah gave a little squeal of excitement and she pulled Deeks and Kensi in a tight hug. Deeks smiled at Kensi and she gave him a kiss.

* * *

'We need to buy new stuff for in the house,' Narah rambled enthusiastically when they arrived back at Deeks' apartment. Deeks and Kensi laughed at her enthusiasm. They also realized that this would probably be Narah's first real house. Besides, she was right. They would need new stuff for in the house. They couldn't just put their old furniture together and simply hope it would be perfect.

'I will call Miss Rooney and tell her the news,' Kensi said and she kissed Deeks one more time.

'I need to call Ivan, Emily and Ming!' Narah exclaimed. 'They will need to know my new address! And they need to know!' Deeks laughed and he walked over to her.

'Maybe you should calm down first, Narah,' he smiled. 'Maybe do some homework...someone has told me you still have homework left from two to three days...' Narah sighed and dragged herself over to her bedroom.

'You are no fun!' she shouted at him before slamming the door shut. Kensi walked from the bedroom with her eyebrows raised while on the phone and Deeks gestured it was nothing. He sat down on the couch, taking a relieve breath that he finally could lie down. But his peace didn't last long as he felt wetness over his face.

'No Monty,' he mumbled. 'Not now. Daddy needs to sleep for a moment.' A wetness kept pushing against his cheek and Deeks opened his eyes to look at the dog. He stroked his head. 'You're getting a new home, Monty...isn't that great? A perfect little...well rather big...place for all four of us.' Monty began to waggle his tail and Deeks smiled.

* * *

'I promise I will go to bed soon,' Narah sighed but she sat down comfortably on the couch. Deeks put away the sugar and glared at the girl. She threw her hands up angrily. 'Come on! They are just about to reveal who's going to be kicked off. Only ten more minutes! Fifteen max!' Deeks turned to Kensi with his eyebrows raised.

'Come on, Deeks, she can watch the end,' she told him and he sighed.

'What was I thinking asking for your support: you want to see who gets kicked off yourself,' he smiled. 'You're the reason she is even watching Top Model.' Kensi smiled at him and blew a kiss towards him.

'Just admit that you want to see it was well,' she smirked.

'I do not!' Deeks contradicted. Then he made the mistake of looking at the screen. 'They put Anna through?! That must be a joke! She's horrible!' Kensi and Narah burst out in laughter.

'You're unbelievable,' Narah laughed.

'Don't you start,' he warned her with a big smile on his face and he pointed his finger at her. Narah got up laughing when the doorbell rang. She was confused when she saw no one standing and only a little box on the ground. She crouched down to open it and when she saw what was inside, she started to scream. Kensi had the girl in her hands within seconds, holding her tightly and whisper comforting words. Narah was shaking from fear and Kensi glanced worried at the box that was dropped on the ground. Deeks stepped towards the box and opened it. He was shocked to see two bloody eyes lying in it. On the top was written  _We see the see-er_  in blood.

'I'm calling Callen,' he said shocked to Kensi, who nodded in agreement. She looked down at Narah, who had clenched her fists onto Kensi's shirt.

'Come on, sweetie,' she whispered. 'Let's get you away from her.' She guided Narah to their bedroom. Deeks was left standing to the box with the eyes.

* * *

Within half an hour Deeks' place was crowded with CSU. Callen and Sam were standing next to Deeks, who was sitting on the couch watching closely on how the box was taken away.

'How did they found us again?' he mumbled. 'What did we do wrong? She was supposed to be safe here...' Sam put his hand on Deeks' shoulder.

'Don't beat yourself up about this, Deeks,' he told him. 'You didn't do anything wrong. This just happened...' Deeks shook his head in defeat.

'Where is Kensi with Narah right now?' Callen asked and Deeks nodded towards the closed bedroom door.

'Kensi took her in there,' he answered. 'She was so scared...' Callen nodded and walked over to the bedroom. Sam sighed.

'Hetty told us to bring you to Julia's, or in case you don't want to go there, to another safe place,' he told Deeks.

'Take Kensi and Narah there,' Deeks replied. 'I'm going to stay right here and see if they decided to come back. And I will be here, ready for them, when they do.'

'Deeks...' Sam sighed, ready to tell him wrong.

'No, Sam!' Deeks interrupted angrily. 'They came to  _my_  house and threatened  _my_  daughter. I won't let that go!'

'Deeks, be sensible,' Sam said. 'You can't stay here...not when you're injured. You cannot wait for them to come back! And right now, Narah needs you more...she needs you to be with her. Not sitting here, guarding the house. The gang knows you will move soon, because you did so last time. They will not come back here.' Deeks took a deep breath that hurt his ribs, but he could not care.

'What am I supposed to do?' he asked defeated. 'I can't even protect Narah...'

* * *

Kensi looked up when the door was slowly opened. She expected Deeks to walk in, but it was Callen who did. She returned her gaze to Narah, who was curled up again her. Her breathing was evened and Kensi knew the girl had fallen asleep, exhausted.

'CSU is almost finished in the living room,' Callen told her and he walked towards the bed. He glanced at Narah. 'Is she asleep?' Kensi nodded.

'She only fell asleep about five minutes ago,' she answered. 'How is Deeks?'

'He's with Sam,' Callen answered. 'He is okay. What about you?' Kensi glanced at the girl in her arms.

'She just can't get a break,' she mumbled. 'She was doing good...and now this...'

'She is a strong girl; she will manage to get through this,' Callen assured her. 'Besides, she had you and Deeks to help her.' Kensi smiled at him and Callen returned the smile. 'Hetty wants you to move out of the apartment...to a safe house.' Kensi sighed.

'So Narah has to move again?' she replied. 'We just bought a house...soon it will be finished and we can live there...it's in another neighborhood...one far from her. Just let us wait till then and we can move. Narah doesn't need another new home for just a few weeks.' Callen bowed his head.

'Hetty already suspected that you would say that,' he said with a weak smile. 'So she opted your mother's place as well. You can stay with her until the house is ready and we can put LAPD on the house.'

'And an officer for Narah at all times?' Kensi asked and Callen nodded.

'We're putting an agent on her detail,' he said. 'Started tomorrow morning at seven o'clock. Hetty personally selected the team of agents for her.'


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 34_

When they woke up it took Deeks, Kensi and Narah a few seconds more to realize where they were; at Julia's place. On automatic pilot Narah walked to the bedroom and after that to the kitchen to get breakfast. Deeks and Kensi simply followed her. The house was quiet. All three of them sat down at the table, just saying nothing at all. Narah was the only one who was eating something.

'We need to get ready for school,' she said after a few bites and she glanced at the clock. 'Are you guys going to get changed?' Deeks and Kensi realized they were still wearing the clothes of last night after falling asleep in them.

'Umm...yes,' Deeks answered and as he got up, the doorbell rang. Narah immediately froze in her seat and her breath quickened. Kensi grabbed her gun and walked over to the door. Monty was growling. Kensi opened the door a little and a man and woman were standing in front of the door. As they saw Kensi, they showed their badges.

'Special Agent Dean Finley and Maria Gomez,' he introduced themselves. 'Hetty sent us for the protection detail of your daughter Narah.' Kensi nodded and she opened the door.

'Next time, do not ring the doorbell,' she told them forcefully. 'I thought Hetty would have mentioned that.' Agent Finley nodded uncomfortably. Kensi pointed them towards the kitchen where Narah was trying to calm down with Deeks' help.

'Narah, this are Agent Finley and Gomez,' Kensi told the teen. 'They are going to be with you at all times...'

'I will be with you during the day,' Agent Gomez said. 'And Agent Finley will stay close to you during the night...' They were interrupted by Julia who walked into the kitchen. She seemed surprised by all the people.

'This is my mother, Julia Feldman,' Kensi introduced Julia and she turned to her. 'Mom, this will be the agents that will keep an eye on Narah.'

'Nice to meet you,' Julia greeted them. 'So this means I no longer have to pick up Narah after school?'

'No, Ma'am,' Agent Gomez said. 'I will make sure Narah comes home safely.' Julia slowly nodded and then she sighed.

'Alright, I will be going,' she said, more to Deeks and Kensi than the agents. 'I'm meeting a friend for breakfast...if there is anything, do not hesitate to call me!' Kensi smiled weakly.

'Mom, we have been over this,' she said. 'Try to enjoy your breakfast. We will be okay.' Julia nodded again and she gave Kensi and Narah a kiss on their cheeks. 'I'm making lasagna...should I make it for seven people?'

'Can we go now?' Narah asked, suddenly speaking up.

* * *

The tears were flooding over Narah's cheeks and she just let them go. She didn't care about it. She hugged her knees a little more and rested her chin on them. She listened to the chatter of the girls downstairs, the ones without much care in the world. The door opened and she heard Agent Gomez talk to the person. She only turned around when she heard Ivan's voice. Within seconds she was in his arms and he hugged her tightly.

'Thank you for coming,' she whispered.

'Always for you,' he whispered back and she looked up at him through her tears. 'Now tell me about the nice lady who seemed to be ready to arrest me.' Narah chuckled and she pulled out of the hug. Only a little so that she had a better look at Agent Gomez.

'Ivan, this is my personal protector during the day: Agent Gomez,' Narah introduced. 'And Agent Gomez, this is Ivan, my brother from another mother and absolutely no threat.' Agent Gomez nodded with a slightly amused smile.

'Since when do protection agents smile?' Ivan joked and Narah smiled. It was good to be with Ivan. He nudged her a little. 'You wanna sit down for awhile?'

'Narah, your English class starts in five minutes,' Agent Gomez warned.

'Oh, didn't you hear?' Ivan asked. 'No English for today. Something about some food poisoning. Actually they advised every student to just go home.' Narah couldn't help but laugh, especially when Agent Gomez was staring unimpressed at Ivan. Ivan grabbed her hand and walked over to the ledge. Together they stood side by side, looking over the buildings in front of them. Narah closed her eyes for a moment and in that moment she heard the sounds of what was once her neighborhood. That moment she realized that it was no longer her place. She no longer belonged here.

'So...I also heard you guys found a house,' Ivan said and Narah slowly nodded, her eyes still closed. She knew what would come next. The worries and the sadness. As she stood on the roof of her school, she knew she was leaving.

* * *

'Please don't tell me that you got absolutely nothing,' Kensi warned when she saw Eric walk into the bullpen. 'There has to be something.' Eric looked down and shook his head.

'They seem to know what they are doing,' he said. 'They don't leave a trace...we did get a name for the eyes: Petty Officer Wendy Lee. She was reported missing two days ago by her parents after she did not come home for dinner. Callen and Sam are speaking to her parents right now to see if she had a connection with Fratres Armis.' Kensi sighed frustrated and rubbed her forehead.

'How is Narah?' Eric asked carefully.

'She is absolutely doing great,' Kensi answered irritated and when she saw Eric's shocked face, she sighed. 'I'm sorry, Eric. It has been a long day...'

'It has been for everyone,' Eric said, 'and don't worry about it. We're doing our best to find out how they did it...'

'Thank you,' she said with a smile and Eric nodded before walking back to the Ops Center. Kensi turned back to the files on her desk. The files about the time Fratres Armis had come to her apartment. Both times there was not a link to how the gang discovered where Narah was staying. Kensi sighed and leaned back. She stared into the space until she realized something. Maybe she should go and talk to some of the gang members. Maybe those guys were willing to tell her more. Just as Kensi got up, ready to go, Hetty walked towards her.

'And where would you be going, Miss Blye?' she asked. 'I do hope you're staying away from the Fratres Armis, like we have discussed.'

'Hetty, just looking into them never did anything for us,' Kensi protested. 'Never gave us any information. Those guys keep walking freely and they have the information we need. Just let me talk to a few of them!' Hetty shook her head.

'We are doing this the right way,' she said. 'The way you and Mister Deeks are not involved in this case. You're becoming her parents, you will have too much of an involvement. You will have to trust that the team will catch Fratres Armis. They will mess up soon, Miss Blye.'

'Yeah, well meanwhile Narah has to have an agent with her at all times,' Kensi noted irritated.

* * *

'This is a confidential meeting between me and my client,' Jordana told Agent Gomez forcefully. 'You can wait in the waiting room and protect her from there. Believe me, Narah will be safe in my office.' Narah listened to Jordana and Agent Gomez about the meaning of safety. But she didn't get to listen for long as Jordana simply closed the door and walked to her chair. When she looked at Narah, Narah knew this was going to be a tough session with a lot of questions she didn't want to answer.

'You can relax, Narah,' Jordana told her gently. 'We will take this at your pace and just like before: if you do not want to answer a question, you just tell me so...now...I gathered from Deeks that a lot happened last night. You moved in with your soon to be grandmother, correct?' Narah nodded and glanced around. After four sessions, she still wasn't used the interior. It was still too perfect. Jordana demanded her attention again by asking a question. 'Can you tell me what happened last night?' Narah looked down at her hands, feeling uneasy. As she looked down she noticed her nails were filthy and she had the urge to clean them.

'Would you rather talk about something else?' Jordana asked and Narah nodded. 'Okay, what do you want to talk about?' Narah shrugged. 'Did something good happen this week? I know you, Deeks and Kensi went to look for houses the day after our last session...did you find a nice place?' Narah nodded. 'What does the house look like?'

'Like a real house,' Narah mumbled. 'It has a garden...it is a really nice house.'

'Did you pick your room yet?'

'Not yet...'

'But you have an idea of the room you want...what color would it be?' Narah shrugged. She never thought about a color for her room. Her room would just be whatever she got. 'You do not have a preference for a color in your room? I bet Deeks and Kensi let you decorate your own room...So what would your room look like? What color?'

'Umm...red...I think.' But as Narah gave the answer, she saw red as the color of blood. She saw the bloody eyes lying in the box. Sent to her. As a way to let her know that they watch her. They would come for her. A touch of Jordana's hand brought her back to the office.

'Are you looking forward to moving, Narah?' she asked softly. Narah blinked a few times, taking her time to give her answer. Why didn't the answer come screaming to her?

'I don't know,' she answered honestly and she felt her own lip tremble. She did not understand why she was so close to tears. It had always been her dream to be able to escape that neighborhood. And now she was about to reach that dream. Why was she sad about that?

'Are you afraid of moving away from your friends? From Ivan? You told me a lot about him that told me that he is really important to you...your brother from another mother.' Narah nodded, while fighting the tears.

'I don't know where I would be without him,' she mumbled. 'He showed me what love truly meant.'

* * *

Kensi smiled as she walked up the three steps that led to their new front door. The car was in the driveway to her left. She was about to walk into their house. She turned around to see Deeks walking towards her. He also had a little smile on his face.

'Ready to see what has to be done?' he asked her and Kensi nodded. Deeks opened the door and they stepped into their house. It was a strange feeling that this empty house was theirs and would become their home. Deeks put his arms around Kensi's waist.

'Still happy we bought it?' he asked.

'Very happy,' she answered and she kissed him. 'I can't wait to actually be living here.'

'It is a gorgeous house,' Deeks agreed. There was a knock on the door and Kensi opened it, revealing Narah and Agent Gomez.

'Hey, good day at school?' Kensi greeted the teenager, who had walked inside without saying a thing. Narah shrugged and Kensi looked questioningly at Agent Gomez.

'She came out of therapy like this,' the agent said.

'You want to pick out your room, Narah?' Deeks asked and Narah shrugged. Kensi walked towards Narah, who was looking into the garden. She put her arm around Narah's shoulder, pulling her towards herself.

'Did something happen during school or...therapy?' she asked worried.

'Not really,' Narah answered. 'School was great, especially when you're followed by an agent...and therapy...well, therapy is therapy.' Kensi stroked Narah's hair.

'Would you like to see your new school, Narah?' Deeks asked carefully and Kensi saw Narah's expression turn saddened. The teenager had closed her eyes and sighed. Then she shrugged off Kensi's arm and she walked towards Deeks.

* * *

Narah watched all the students who were in the pictures, all smiling perfectly and dressed very neatly. It was definitely nothing like her current high school. It was clear that this was a school of the rich.

'Narah is more than welcome to our school,' the principle said with a fake perfect smile. 'I have seen her dossier and she will fit in perfectly on this school. For her math we can offer her tutoring.' When Narah heard that she turned abruptly to the principle.

'I don't need tutoring,' she protested. 'I went from an F to C minus and my teacher is certain I can get it up to at least a C if I continue like this.' The principle nodded slowly.

'We try to help our students to excel in life,' she said. 'We're just trying to help.'

'Well, I don't need it,' Narah mumbled and she received a firm look from Deeks and Kensi. The principle didn't seem impressed by what Narah had said, but she didn't try to contradict. Instead she stood up.

'Would you like a tour of the school?' she asked.

'Sure, we would love to,' Kensi answered and the four of them walked out of the office. The principle gestured a boy to come over. He immediately walked over.

'Christopher, would you mind showing our newest student around the school?' she asked and the boy nodded.

'Of course, Mrs. Brown,' Christopher answered and he turned to Narah. 'Welcome to our school. Is there something in particular that you would like to see?'

'Not really, Christopher,' Narah answered bitterly. 'I have been to a High School before. I think I know how it looks.'

* * *

Narah sat down on the steps in front of the school. This school was definitely not like her old high school and she had no idea what it would look like. They had computers, a library, functioning stuff in the science labs and sport areas. She always thought she would be at her old school until she gave up on school. That was definitely not an option in this school. She bet they had a tracking system for every student so that none of them can drop out. She sighed. She didn't belong at such a school. She belonged at a school struggling with money and high drop-out rates.

'Your parents will be here soon,' Christopher's voice said behind her and Narah turned around to see him looking at her with a smile.

'Why are you smiling?' Narah asked, slightly irritate by the boy. 'Don't you have anything better to do, Christopher? Like Algebra for smarties?' Christopher chuckled.

'Please call me Chris,' he said and he sat down beside her. 'And I am definitely not fit for Algebra for smarties...I just have to stick around a little longer until my mother can pick me up. Because they are dangerous roads and anything could happen to a sixteen-year-old on a ten minutes' walk.' Narah raised her eyebrow as Chris began to laugh.

'Right, dangerous roads...' she mumbled and she glanced over to Agent Gomez who was watching her from the car. Chris nodded at the agent.

'You have your personal body guard?' he asked.

'None of your business,' she answered and to her surprise Chris left it at that. She turned to him. 'I imagined you to be one who wouldn't give up without an answer.'

'Well, you're not the only one who ever had a bodyguard at this school,' Chris said. 'I have seen it before.' Narah looked surprised at him and Chris pointed at the school. 'School of the rich, easy prey for easy money.' Narah nodded slowly and he gave her a little nudge. 'Don't let that scare you; we have Bill, our very own security.'

'I think I will manage,' Narah replied. 'I have my own Special Agent.'

'Ah, Miss Tough,' Chris smiled. As a car drove towards them, Chris got up. 'That would be my ride. It was nice meeting you, Narah, and I will probably see you some day later.' He raised his hand and waved goodbye as he hurried towards the car.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 35_

'Is there another box left?' Kensi asked while she walked out of the bedroom. She and Deeks had been busy all day packing up all of their stuff. First task had been her own apartment, which had been quite a challenge, and now Deeks' apartment. And as they packed more and more, making the place emptier, it stated to become real. They really were packing up her and his life up and starting on their life. Deeks walked towards her and handed her another box.

'Only a few more left,' he said. 'Do you think it's going to fit? Or should I get more?' Kensi noticed a pained look on his face and she dragged him towards the couch.

'You should get some rest,' she told him. 'I will continue packing. After I get you something to drink and maybe some painkillers...' Deeks wanted to protest but Kensi stopped him. 'I can see that your ribs are hurting you, Deeks. Don't try to pretend that everything is alright when it's not. I can handle packing some boxes on my own.'

'Okay,' Deeks said. 'But could you leave the upper self in my closet?' Kensi nodded, understanding that he needed some stuff to pack on his own. She had done the same for her own place. Also neither of them had touched Narah's stuff. Somethings you needed to pack yourself to close that chapter. Kensi leaned towards him to give him a kiss.

'You could think about Christmas,' she told him. 'It's already in two days.' Deeks looked up at her. Christmas was in two days already? He had seen the Christmas trees and the Chrismas decoration everywhere but it was in two days already? He had forgotten about Christmas being so soon already, with all this planning to move into the new house; with all that had been going on. Kensi gave him a reassuring smile and Deeks nodded.

* * *

'Narah, I would like to talk about your parents, if that is okay with you,' Jordana said calmly but her tone alarmed Narah. Nervously she nodded, waiting for the questions that were coming and she did not want to answer. 'We have been seeing each other about two times in a week, for almost three weeks now and I noticed that you were always avoiding everything about your past. A past you clearly hated.' Narah looked down at her hands and took a deep breath.

'I remember a day we went to the park,' she started to tell and she noticed a shift in Jordana's posture. She actually seemed very interested. So Narah took another deep breath before she continued. 'All I can remember about that day is the laughter...it's my memory of being a family. We spent the entire day at the park, playing the games I wanted. My mother and father were still in love...I remember him stealing a kiss from my mother every once and a while. I remember a nice man taking our picture, a picture of a happy little family. I remember being thrown up high in the sky and not being afraid because my father would catch me...' Narah swallowed away the lump that was forming in her throat. She had pushed those memories away. Not allowing herself to think about the happy times or to miss her parents.

'Thank you for telling me about that memory,' Jordana said with a genuine smile. 'I think it's important for you to remember that there weren't only bad times with your parents. That there were also good moments, like the day in the park.'

'The bad times are easier to remember,' Narah noted. 'It makes it all hurt less. If it's just the bad times, it is okay...'

'Is it truly okay?' Jordana asked carefully. 'You end up with hate...no longer remembering that you were loved. That you loved...Your parents will always play a big part of your life, as they are part of you. Remembering only the hate and the awful will make you feel like you should be hated as well. Because you know they are a part of you. Don't you think?'

'I think remembering the good times makes their betrayal hurt more.'

* * *

Narah walked into Julia's house, followed by Agent Gomez of course, but the house was empty. She walked into the kitchen to get herself something to drink and she sat down, her chin resting on her head.

'Deeks and Kensi are packing up some of the stuff in Deeks' apartment,' Agent Gomez said and Narah nodded. She remembered Deeks telling her that they would do so. The agent sat down on a chair as well and they looked at each other.

'Are you going to join us with Christmas?' Narah asked and Agent Gomez looked surprised by her question. 'Or will you be with your own family?'

'I have a job to do,' Agent Gomez said. 'So I will be with you for Christmas.'

'Don't you want to be with your own family?' Narah asked and she was ready to be shut down by Agent Gomez but to her surprise the agent smiled at her.

'Right now I do not have a family to be with,' she said. 'So I will spend Christmas right here.' Narah nodded.

'I think I will go work on my homework now,' she said and she walked upstairs to her room. Luckily Agent Gomez started to understand that she didn't need to be less than six feet away from all the time so Narah had a little bit more privacy. She grabbed the notebook Jordana had given her out of her backpack and sighed. Jordana had asked to write down the happy memories about her parents. So she would remember them. But what if she didn't want to remember them? Why did Jordana push to remember why she loved her parents? Why wasn't it just okay to hate them?

* * *

Switching between three places all the time was exhausted, Deeks discovered as he sat down on his own couch. He took a moment to look at his rather empty apartment. His stuff had been replaced by boxes and more boxes, from Kensi's place, had been added to their boxes collection. They could pack everything without thinking because they were living at Julia's. So no need to leave out some plates and cutlery or chairs. No, everything could be packed. During packing they had the time to discuss the colors for the new house. They could think about the furniture they would need. A lot of their time consisted of thinking about their new house. It was a good thing he had this forced time off. But still Deeks felt that there was something off with Narah. She had not started packing or seemed as enthusiastic about moving as she had before.

It had been strange for himself as well. He was used to living in this apartment. Close to the beach and the park. He had lived here several years and it had become his place. Of course he was excited to be moving into a house with Kensi and Narah, their very own house, but still sometimes he thought about the time he had spent here.

* * *

Kensi stepped into Narah's bedroom, finding the girl sitting against her bed. When she stepped closer she saw her holding her book in her hands and tears were staining her face. Kensi sat down beside her and put her arm around her. She followed Narah's gaze and noticed the writing in the book. Her father's words for his daughter.

'Did you ever hate your father?' Narah whispered softly and Kensi sighed.

'Yes, I did,' she answered honestly and the teenager looked up at her. 'As much as I loved him, there were times I hated him. Like when the day he told me I could not go to the cinema with my friends. I hated him a lot in that moment because I didn't think it was fair I wasn't allowed to go and my friends could go.' Kensi had to fight her own tears now.

'But the hate didn't last?' Narah asked, sounding confused, and Kensi shook her head.

'I simply ignored him and snuck out of the house,' she said and Narah smiled a little. 'And I knew that I would only hate him that evening. The next morning he would tell me he loved me and I knew I loved him too. Sometimes it's okay to hate your parents.'

'Did he tell you he loved you the next morning?' Narah asked carefully and Kensi fell silent, looking at Narah, who was looking at her waiting for the answer. She began to stroke the girl's hair.

'He died that night,' she told her. Narah looked shocked at her and Kensi smiled weakly at her, telling her that it was okay.

'I'm sorry,' Narah mumbled and Kensi pulled her into a hug.

'It's okay, sweetie,' she assured her. 'You shouldn't feel sorry about asking...but why did you ask if I ever hated my father?'

'I know you had a good relationship with him...And I was just wondered if you also hated your father...'

'Did you discuss this during one of your sessions with doctor Beckman? Like in today's session?'

'She asked me why I held on to the bad memories of my parents and not the few good ones we had...' When Kensi looked questioningly, Narah continued. 'It's easier to remember the bad so that I understand why they left me...why they hated me...' The teenager began to cry again and Kensi held her tight.

'They didn't hate you,' she whispered in her ear. 'They just didn't know how to deal with you. But they didn't hate you.' After Narah cried for several minutes in Kensi's arms, she looked up again.

'Do you still have Alice's phone number?' she asked softly and Kensi nodded.

* * *

'Deeks, Narah is going to speak with Alice again,' Kensi told Deeks when he walked into the living room. He looked confused so Kensi continued as he sat down. 'She asked me for her phone number...should we be there during that moment...or should we give her space...why would she want to speak with her, now?'

'Umm...I think we should give her some space concerning this,' Deeks told her, 'seeing how our involvement went last time she saw her mother.'

'Well not the second time she saw her mother...when you were undercover,' Kensi said. 'She made it pretty clear that she didn't want any contact anymore. She was upset after leaving, but not about her decision to never to see her mother...so why would she want to see her? Would...would she have doubts?' Deeks pulled her towards her and kissed her.

'She will not have doubts,' he assured her. 'But not wanting to see your mother one moment, might not go for the rest of your life. Narah has been in therapy...maybe it made her want to see her mother again. Or doctor Beckman suggested it. We can always ask her why she wants to see her mother.' Kensi nodded.

'She did say that doctor Beckman asked why she only held onto the bad memories,' Kensi asked and she took a deep breath. 'Having a teenager brings a lot of worries along.' Deeks chuckled and he stroked her cheek.

'It sure does,' he replied. 'But Narah is a good girl, not a lot to worry about.'

'Beside those few times she went to see a drugs dealer or broke into a gym,' Kensi noted. 'Or besides the fact that a gang is hunting for her because she tried to do what's right...besides that there is not much to worry about.'

'It will be okay,' Deeks told her. 'And she had a relatable reason to visit that drugs dealer...and broke into a gym?' Kensi couldn't help to smile a little.

'She and her friends went to the old gym to play some basketball,' she told him. 'And in her words it was alright because they didn't destroy anything. They were just playing basketball and hanging out...she looked really happy that evening.'

'See, also a relatable reason,' Deeks told her. 'And she won't do it again. She is a changed girl from when we first met her.' Kensi nodded in agreement.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 36_

Narah had to smile each time she caught a glimpse of the Christmas tree that was standing in Julia's living room. The lights were bright but warm and the red and gold colors gave it a Christmas feeling. The Christmas songs that were playing helped as well. Julia had asked Narah to sit with her at the dinner table, to plan their Christmas dinner. It had been their first real Christmas as a family of some sort and Julia decided it was the perfect time to celebrate. So they were planning a four-course-menu. Narah loved going through Julia's cookbooks and drool over the delicious looking pictures.

'There is too much to choose from!' Narah exclaimed as she closed another cookbook and took a closer look at her long list of possibilities. Julia smiled.

'It always seems like that in the beginning,' she said. 'But I think we have enough idea to take a closer look at them and match all the courses with each other. So we have to take a look at all the ingredients and see what looks best together.' Narah nodded and started working on her new task, which was harder than it seemed. When she looked up she saw Julia watching her.

'Thank you,' Narah suddenly said and Julia seemed surprised. 'Thank you for taking your time to make this a special Christmas dinner.' Julia put her hand over Narah's hand.

'Of course,' she said. 'I love to plan it with you.' Narah smiled and she turned back to the paper. It took them another fifteen minutes to find all the matching recipes for their Christmas dinner. All that was left was making it on the day itself. Julia had taken dinner for Christmas Eve upon herself, refusing any help from Deeks, Kensi or Narah. And after that hectic days would start as Deeks and Kensi had planned to move in those days, so that Narah could start at her new high school after Christmas Break.

'Oh, Narah, we should get you to Emily,' Julia said, pointing at the clock. 'Otherwise you will be late!'

* * *

'Do we have everything?' Kensi asked while Deeks went over their list. They were standing in the middle of the shopping mall, deciding to go for a last minute shopping spree since they had only one more day till Christmas. And they discovered Christmas Eve was definitely not the best day to go shopping.

'I actually believe that we have everything,' Deeks said with a smile, happy to get out of the mall. 'We did get the Christmas napkins your mother asked for and we got the last minute presents, so I think we're good.' Kensi smiled as well and they made their way towards the exit. Both took deep breath when they got outside into the fresh air.

'Next year we will have to plan this better,' Kensi smiled and Deeks nodded.

'Let's get something to drink before we go home,' he said and he pointed at a café. 'It has been a long time since it was just the two of us.' Kensi nodded and he gave her a quick kiss. They were lucky and could even get a seat outside. Dropping their bags next to them, they took a seat and watched hurried people pass by. Deeks took this moment to look at Kensi as well. To just take in her sight.

'I love you,' he said to her as he leaned closer to her. Kensi smiled and she kissed him.

'I love you too,' she replied. Deeks gave her another kiss and pulled away when the waiter came to take their order.

* * *

'Happy Christmas Eve!' Emily greeted Narah happily and the girls hugged each other. Ming and Ivan had already arrived and were waiting to greet and hug her as well. Julia quickly said her goodbyes and left the friends alone.

'Mom! We'll be in my room!' Emily yelled to her mother, who was working in the kitchen. 'Could you please bring some drinks later?' Without waiting for her mother's reply, Emily ran upstairs, dragging her friends along.

'And we are together again,' Ivan smiled. 'The Mighty Four.' All of them started to smile but Narah had to fake it. The Mighty Four weren't four for long. Soon it would just be the Mighty Three. Of course it was Ivan who noticed something was off and he gave her a glance.

'I'm fine...I just have something to tell,' Narah said and Ming and Emily's heads turned to her as well. 'As you know we bought a house...and as Ivan already knows...'

'Ivan always knows everything about you,' Emily interrupted, getting a harsh glare from Ming so that Narah could continue.

'As I said...we bought a house in a new neighborhood...and for me to get to our school...it would take about an hour...so Deeks, Kensi and I have been looking at new schools...and after Christmas Break I will start at a new high school...' Emily and Ming looked shocked at her.

'You are leaving us at the start of high school?' Emily managed to say. 'But...it would be the Mighty Four who would survive high school together...no matter what.' Narah slowly nodded. She remembered that promise. But she also didn't want to miss out on her new life, even if that meant giving up her current high school.

'Okay, it will suck,' Ivan said. 'But it's not like we will never see each other ever again! And it's a great opportunity for Narah...I mean she will go to a real high school.'

'Will your personal body guard be there with you twenty four seven as well?' Ming asked and Narah nodded. She glanced out of the window where Agent Gomez' car was parked.

'She never ever leaves me alone,' she sighed. 'She will even be there with Christmas!'

'Mentioning Christmas...' Emily said enthusiastically and she reached in a drawer, grabbing three presents. 'Our annual Christmas celebration...because that is why we are here of course!' Ivan, Ming and Narah grabbed their presents as well, putting them on the bed. As they unwrapped their presents, talking and laughing, Narah was happy to be with her friends. And she realized how much she would miss not spending every day with them.

When Narah came back home, she immediately saw Deeks and she saw Julia in the kitchen but she didn't see Kensi. She looked at Deeks who shook his head very faintly.

'Give her some time,' he told her. 'She will join us soon.' Narah nodded understanding and walked towards the kitchen, only to be stopped by Julia.

'Not yet,' she smiled. 'You will get to see dinner, when we will eat dinner.' Narah chuckled.

'But I can smell the pancakes,' she said and Julia raised her eyebrows. Narah threw her hands up. 'Alright, I will go...sit on the couch.' Deeks smiled at her and gestured her to sit next to him. So she did.

'Tell me: how was Christmas with your friends?' he asked.

'It was great!' Narah said enthusiastically. 'We exchanged presents and they got me great things!' She grabbed the big plastic bag that was standing next to the couch and showed Deeks her present with a big smile on her face. 'They actually worked perfectly together, without me noticing.' Deeks looked closely at the big photo collage that her friends had made. He loved seeing the pictures of little Narah. He never had seen much of them. Narah started to point enthusiastically at all the pictures and telling the stories behind it. She only stopped when Kensi walked down the stairs. She watch her closely as she walked inside and Kensi gave her a little reassuring smile, telling that she was okay. She sat down next to Deeks, who gave her a quick kiss.

'Okay ladies and gentleman,' Julia smiled while she walked into the living room. 'Dinner will be served, so if you could join me at the table.'

* * *

Their bellies were completely filled with delicious pancakes and they had plumped down on the couch. Julia had put on some Christmas movie. Half way through the movie Narah had fallen asleep, her head resting on Kensi's lap and her legs over Deeks' lap. Deeks and Kensi were holding hands and they were perfectly content sitting like that.

'You should get her to bed,' Julia whispered. Kensi looked down at the girl, who was sleeping so peacefully and she didn't want to wake her up.

'We can sit like this a little longer,' she replied and Julia smiled. She stood up and gave Deeks and Kensi both a kiss on their cheeks.

'I will see you tomorrow morning to unwrap the Christmas presents,' she said and she walked upstairs. Deeks stroked Kensi's hair, getting her attention. He smiled at her and she gave him a kiss.

'Seems like we're a happy family,' he whispered.

'We are a happy family,' Kensi corrected and then Agent Finley decided to walk into the living room. He seemed embarrassed and was about to walk again when Deeks stopped him.

'Is there something, agent Finley?' he asked. Agent Finley shook his head.

'I just wanted to see that everything seemed calm outside,' he reported. 'That the criminals were probably celebrating Christmas Eve as well. Just so you know before you go to sleep...'

'Thank you,' Kensi said and agent Finley gave her a quick nod before hurrying off.

'He is a little strange,' Deeks said and Kensi laughed.

'Well, apparently he is the best,' she replied. 'Since Hetty sent him.'

'Oh I would never doubt Hetty's judgment,' Deeks smiled. Narah stirred and looked up with sleepy eyes.

'I don't think that would be wise either,' she said sleepily and the three of them laughed.

* * *

'Merry Christmas,' Narah whispered in Deeks' ear and he slowly woke up. He groaned when he saw the time and Narah laughed. She moved over to Kensi, who was sleeping on the couch in the guest bedroom and did the same. Kensi groaned even more annoyed when she woke up and Narah had a hard time not bursting into laughter.

'Aren't only young children supposed to wake up early on Christmas morning?' Kensi mumbled.

'No, all children,' Narah laughed. 'Can you get up? Julia has coffee ready...and the rest of breakfast...but it seems like you two need coffee.'

'That's what happens when you wake us up at seven a.m.,' Deeks said but he made movement towards getting out of bed, giving a little wince when muscles didn't seem to like the plan. Narah grabbed his hands and pulled him up.

'You're starting to become an old man,' she joked and Kensi started to laugh.

'Don't you start,' Deeks replied. 'You have been sleeping on a couch for a week! You will feel it even more.' To prove the contrary Kensi got off the couch without out any problems and held her arms up.

'Nope, Deeks, you're just getting old,' she told him. She then took a few steps closer and gave him a kiss. 'Merry Christmas.'

'Merry Christmas,' he smiled and he kissed her again. Narah gave a little cough, just to make sure they weren't forgetting her and she immediately got pulled into a hug.

'Merry Christmas,' she said as she put her arms around both Deeks and Kensi.

* * *

Julia had been busy in the morning, even though it was still early, and had put all the presents underneath the Christmas tree. She had also hung up and filled their stockings. Narah absolutely acted like a young child, storming to the stockings right away.

'They even have our names on them!' she exclaimed enthusiastically as she held up her own. Deeks, Julia and Kensi watched her with big smiles on their faces. For Narah this would be her very first real Christmas and they had tried their best to make it a Christmas she would remember for the rest of her life. Deeks quickly took a few pictures of Narah, in her pajamas, holding her stocking.

'Shall we go to the presents?' Julia asked and the four of them moved towards the Christmas tree and all the presents. It was clear that this would be a year for Narah that she would get spoiled. But no one minded. The teenager deserved a special Christmas for once. Besides, Julia had decided to spoil every one of them with many presents. After unwrapping several presents, Kensi got up and walked out of the room. Deeks, Julia and Narah shared some glances.

'Where did she go?' Narah was the one who asked the question they were all thinking. 'Is she okay? Should we...' Kensi already came walking back into the room, holding a present in her hands.

'I almost forgot this one,' she said and she handed it to Narah. 'It's not from me...and if I tell you who gave it to you, you might not want it...but I think it's worth opening it.' Narah stared at the presents in her hands and only one name came to her mind: Alice. And indeed she was wondering if she wanted to open it. She glanced up at Deeks, Kensi and Julia, who were all waiting for her to open it. Looking at them, she put the present beside her.

'I will open it later,' she said and Kensi gave her a nod.

'How did a present from Alice end up in the hands of our daughter?' Deeks asked Kensi later that day when Narah and Julia were in the kitchen preparing their family Christmas dinner.

'She had sent it to my place,' Kensi answered him. 'She knew it from that one time she visited Narah...and I picked it up there when I was packing the last few things there. There was a note with it, asking me to give this to Narah. That it might be important and meaningful for Narah to have...I didn't think it would do any harm to give her the present.' Deeks put his arms around her and gave her a kiss.

'It won't,' he said. 'But you could have told me that Alice sent it to you.'

'Oh, with everything going on, it might have slipped my mind,' Kensi said. She took a deep breath when she saw Deeks' raised eyebrows. 'I might have been a little worried that you would not approve of Alice giving Narah a present...on Christmas...' Deeks pulled her closer.

'We can't deny Alice,' he said. 'She is Narah's mother, even if Narah wants nothing to do with her...and she gave us...well, you the choice to give it to Narah. Plus, if it could be meaningful to Narah, why would I not approve of it?' Kensi leaned more into him and kissed him.

'You're a good guy,' she said in a soft tone. 'I am lucky to have you...I love you.' Deeks kissed her back.

'I love you too,' he replied. 'Are you okay? You seem a little down.' Kensi sighed.

'Nothing to worry about today,' she told him and Deeks gave her a nod.

* * *

Narah had snuck off into the garden after finishing most of the preparations for dinner. In her hands was Alice's Christmas present. She wanted to be on her own when she opened it so that she could show all the emotions she wanted. Alice wouldn't send this without a reason. Not when it was Christmas. She noticed her hands were shaking and she felt a knot in her stomach. Maybe she didn't want to do this on her own. Turning back to the house, she saw Deeks and Kensi on the couch, cuddling and talking, and Julia standing in the kitchen. Then she took out her phone and dialed the most familiar number. She smiled when she heard Ivan's voice through the phone.

'Merry Christmas, sister.'

'Merry Christmas, brother.'

'Tell me, Narah, why are you calling me on Christmas Day when you should be celebrating it with your new family? Did it turn out that they are not the holiday people?' Narah glanced at the present in her hand. 'Narah? Everything okay?'

'Alice sent me a present...and with it a letter...'

'So, what did it say? Are you okay? Should I come over?'

'I haven't read it yet.' It stayed silent on the other side of the line but Narah knew Ivan had not hung up on her. He never hung up on her.

'Open it. I will be right here when you read it.' Narah sat down in the grass, putting the present beside her. She looked at the letter, wondering what would be written inside. Wondering if it was something she wanted to read. She put the phone on speaker and put it beside her, on top of the present. With shaking hands she opened the envelope.

' _Dear Narah_ ,' she started to read out loud, her voice shaking. ' _Merry Christmas to you. I hope you can celebrate on this day. That it's a day of joy. I had this gift for many years. Always keeping it to myself. But when I saw you...you were this beautiful girl. In you I see your father...I could no longer keep it. Seven years ago I made the mistake of walking away from you. A mistake I cannot take back. You are happy now. I could see that. But I have to give you this. Your father would have wanted that you got it in the end. I accept that you no longer want to see me. It's your happiness I care about. I might have never shown it, but I love you, Narah. I hope you keep growing into this amazing woman I know you can be. You're only the best of your father and I. Love, your mother_.' She read the letter in silence one more. Soaking up the words that were written on the little piece of paper. Putting the letter on her lap she took the present in her hands. It was a small box. She took off the ribbon and she opened it. Seeing the contents she gasped.

'What is it, Narah?' Ivan's voice remembered her she was not sitting here alone. She tried to find the words to tell him what her mother had given her. Carefully she reached inside the small box and pulled out the ring. A necklace was attached to it. She let her thumb glide over the smooth surface of the ring, until she reached the engraving. Tears formed in her eyes when she saw it. She remembered the ring, she remembered the finger it belonged to and she remembered what the meaning was of the ring. Slowly she closed her eyes as she held the ring close to her heart and just cried.  _Our Precious_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! Or any other holiday you celebrate ^^


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 37_

Julia had called Narah back inside when it was time to start dinner but the teenager had stayed seated, frozen in her spot. Julia had turned to Deeks and Kensi, who were wondering if they should go outside. Or to give Narah just a moment for herself, knowing she had opened the present. Kensi had offered to help Julia in the kitchen instead; an offer Julia gratefully accepted.

'So, are you enjoying our Christmas?' Julia asked her as she put on the stove.

'It's wonderful, mom,' Kensi smiled. 'Thank you for letting us celebrate it here...even though we no longer have another place to celebrate it...it was nice to be here with the four of us, like a real family.' Julia nodded and she turned to Kensi, looking serious.

'I noticed you were feeling a bit down yesterday,' she said. 'Is there a reason?' Kensi sighed while continuing stirring in a pan she didn't know the contents of.

'Christmas still has some sadness in it and yesterday was just a moment that sadness was a little too much,' she explained, knowing that it wouldn't be enough for her mother, but she didn't want to somber the day. But Julia looked at her with a meaningful glance and Kensi gave in. 'Nine years ago, on Christmas morning I woke up without my then fiancé. He left. And in some way, being with Deeks...being this family...it hurt a little.' Julia walked over to her daughter and pulled her into a hug.

'Doesn't seem like Deeks will ever leave you,' she whispered and Kensi nodded.

'Oh, sorry,' Narah mumbled as she walked into the mother-daughter moment and she was about to turned around when Kensi stopped her.

'Are you okay, sweetie?' she asked. She had noticed Narah's red eyes. Narah nodded but it was clear she was fighting against new tears.

'Kensi, this is your cue to leave,' Julia said, pushing her gently towards the living room. 'It's time for serious cooking.' She put her arm around Narah. 'Are you ready?' Narah nodded with a weak smile.

* * *

'It looks beautiful,' Deeks complimented when the dinner was set on the table and he stroked Narah's hair. 'You look absolutely beautiful...is this a new dress?' Narah consciously looked down. She had bought her black simple dress when she had been shopping with Emily; both girls agreeing it was a perfect Christmas dress. She looked up from her thoughts when she heard Deeks and Kensi laugh.

'You look beautiful, Narah,' Kensi agreed with Deeks. Narah sat down as well.

'How long did you two on this?' Deeks asked. 'This seems like a lot of work and we already had two starters...what more is to come?'

'It was time well spent,' Julia said. 'It gave us the chance to talk.' Narah smiled. She noticed Deeks and Kensi looking at her and she cleared her throat.

'I opened the present,' she said.

'What was inside of it?' Kensi asked. Narah took a deep breath and walked away from the table to the kitchen to get the box. When she returned into her seat, she held up the necklace with the ring.

'It looks beautiful,' Deeks said and he touched it to get a better look at it. 'Our Precious.'

'It...umm...it was my father's...wedding ring,' Narah said. 'My father was somewhat forced to marry my mother when she got pregnant with me...he did love her...but marriage at their age...he...he used to call me their precious because he loved Lord of the Rings...that is why he let it be engraved on the wedding rings...'

'It is really beautiful,' Kensi smiled. 'Do you want to wear it?' Narah looked at the ring for a moment, doubting what she wanted. She decided to push the box away.

'Not today,' she answered. 'Shall we start dinner?'

* * *

Carrying two plates Narah crossed the street and walked towards the car standing on the other side of the road. It was quiet out on the streets. Everyone was enjoying Christmas with their family and loved ones. Except agent Gomez and Finley. They had chosen to sit in a car out on the streets, all alone, on Christmas Day. So Narah walked over to their car with some food. Agent Gomez and Finley smiled when they saw her walking towards them and agent Gomez got out of the car.

'Merry Christmas,' Narah smiled and she handed each a plate.

'Thank you, Narah,' agent Gomez smiled. 'And Merry Christmas to you as well.'

'I would have invited you over for dinner but you refuse to come inside when we're all inside,' Narah said and she glanced inside the car. 'I really don't see why you would want to be in a car at this hour...doesn't seem comfortable.'

'It's not as bad as it seems,' agent Finley said. 'You should ask Deeks and Blye about that...they spent a lot of hours sitting in a car watching a house.'

'You should get back into the house,' agent Gomez told Narah. 'Spend time with your family instead of your personal protectors.' Narah smiled. She liked hearing people say "your family". It made it real. Not just something she had in her head and felt in her heart. They were a family in other people's eyes as well.

'I will,' she said. 'Enjoy your dinner and if you would like some desert as well, I dare you to come inside and get some.' Agent Gomez and Finley smiled and Narah walked back to the house.

* * *

None of them wanted to move. Deeks, Kensi and Narah were perfectly comfortable, with just the three of them lying in bed. There was just enough space, if no one moved, to stay in the bed. But they had to get out. Today would be the last day of packing so they could start moving tomorrow. A knock on the door disturbed their nice quiet moment. Julia's head showed and she smiled.

'Are you ready for breakfast?' she asked while she walked inside with a tray.

'Oh, mom, you shouldn't have!' Kensi said and she was on her way out of bed when Julia put the tray down on the bed.

'Just stay in bed,' she said. 'Otherwise the purpose of the breakfast in bed will be gone.' She sat down on the edge and smiled as Deeks, Kensi and Narah looked over the food and drinks of their breakfast.

'Oooh waffles,' Narah exclaimed and she immediately went for one.

'Grab a plate!' Deeks said as he feared for the crumbles that could fall on the bed and he handed Narah one of the plates. Narah took a big bite of the waffles and smiled. Deeks and Kensi stuck with the coffee for now.

'Do you need me to do anything at your places or your new home today?' Julia asked while she took a piece of apple. 'I have all the time...'

'Julia, your friends are coming over this afternoon,' Deeks said. 'You should prepare for that. So we will be okay without you.' Julia gave him a short nod.

'Okay, but they aren't coming till one o'clock so if you need me before that, I can come,' she said and this time Deeks and Kensi nodded.

* * *

'So, last time, Deeks,' Kensi said when they stood in his with moving boxes filled living room. Even the painting of the dogs that were playing poker had been moved from the wall. Not that Kensi allowed it into their new house. They would donate it to something, though Deeks feared the trash.

'Yeah last time,' Deeks said and he smiled at her. 'We have had some good times here, didn't we?' Kensi nodded and she gave him a kiss.

'You should pack up the upper shelf in your closet,' she said to him. 'And I will see how Narah's packing is going.' She walked over the girl's room and she knocked on the door. A soft mumbled made her walk inside and Narah was sitting on the floor. There was stuff spread over the floor. Kensi sat down next to Narah, glancing at the stuff.

'How is the packing going?' she asked and Narah shrugged.

'Not that much to pack,' she said and she pointed at the stuff. 'This is all...not even enough to fill one box.' Kensi put an arm around Narah's shoulder.

'Well, be sure that you get many more stuff for the next time you move,' she assured her. 'And you're forgetting the boxes with your clothes and your shoes. Those were a lot. I believe Deeks decided to not let you shopping for the next year.' Narah smiled a little and Kensi gently rubbed her arm. 'You collected all this in about three months...imagine how much it will be in a year.'

'Then we have to hope that we're not moving again soon,' Narah said.

'Yes,' Kensi said, 'and don't worry about that. Hetty gave us aliases for the house so it can't be matched to us that easily. So as it seems we're going to be living there for at least the next three years...for when you move to college.' Narah raised her eyebrows and threw one of the books in the box.

'Kids like me don't go to college,' she mumbled.

'You said something like that before,' Kensi noted. 'But you are not the same kid as the kid you were at that time. You became a B-student, like we asked you to. So if you want, you could even go to college.' She saw a little spark of something similar to hope and maybe excitement in Narah's eyes. She and Deeks had been saving a little money since they started the adoption procedure. Just in case Narah did want to go to college and it seems they might need it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you have a wonderful Christmas! Or any other holiday you celebrate ^^


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 38_

Narah stared at her wall. The red wall of her new room. And she couldn't help but smile. It was like little rose peddles were glued to the wall. She really like how it looked. She loved her entire new room. Her very own room with her very own furniture. All picked out by herself. She looked at the book in her hand. Placing the book would make the room officially finished and maybe somewhere inside she didn't want it to be finished. She glanced at the photo collage and she smiled. The pictures on it were the best moments of the three of them. Seeing the pictures, Narah realized she hated being so far away from her friends, while they all still lived close to each other and saw each other every day. She was stuck at some rich kids' school. So Narah dropped the book on the nightstand, not even caring about it anymore. It was just a room. When she heard voices downstairs she went to see who were in the house. Callen and Sam came inside carrying two boxes and they smiled at her as a greeting.

'Study room?' they asked.

'Upstairs on the left immediately next to the stairs,' Narah answered and she moved away from the stairs to let them pass. She looked through the cabinets to find a glass. Eric and Nell followed through the door with more boxes. Narah sat on the counter, drinking her water, watching all the people carry boxes inside. It had taken her only two hours to unpack her stuff.

'Narah, please get off the counter and grab another box,' Deeks said while he walked inside. 'There are only a few left. Also we now have chairs to sit on.' Narah smiled at him and jumped of the counter, following him to the moving truck. She waited for Deeks to hand her one of the boxes when a woman walked towards them.

'Hay there, welcome to the neighborhood,' she greeted smiling. 'I'm Sally. I live two houses down the road.' She pointed at the house. 'I saw y'all carrying boxes inside. Are ya'll going to be our new neighbors?' Deeks smiled at her. Narah simply raised her eyebrows. The box was getting a little heaving in her arms.

'Thank you,' he said. 'I'm Marty and this is Narah,' he put his arm around Narah. 'And no, it's just me, Narah and my girlfriend Kensi, who is buying lunch. The others are our friends helping out with the move.' Sally nodded with a bright smile.

'Oh you are a lovely family,' she said. 'If you ever need any help or need to know something, just come over. I'm happy to help ya'll in any way.'

'Thank you very much,' Deeks said. 'But if you do not mind, we would like to get inside.' He nodded at the boxes in their hands and Sally started to laugh.

'Oh yeah, of course!' she said. 'Silly me! Well I'll be seeing ya'll around. There actually is a New Years barbecue next week…we would love if you could be there.' Narah sighed and walked away. She wasn't really up to listening to neighborly talks. Not yet.

* * *

Kensi was setting the pile of plates on the kitchen counter as Deeks came walking inside with several boxes with pizza. It had been a long day of unpacking for everyone and they were starving. At the end of the day only they, Narah, and Julia were left at the house. The rest of the team had gone home.

'Oh, it smells good,' Narah said and she sat down at their brand new table. She immediately went for one of the boxes and Deeks tapped her hand playfully.

'You might be starving but first everyone has to get the chance to sit down,' he told her with a grin. 'Besides, we're missing some glasses. Can you get some?' Narah sighed and went to the kitchen for the glasses. At the same time Julia put down a filled water can on the table.

'Do we have a water can?' Deeks asked surprised.

'It was in one of the boxes,' Julia said. 'So I guess you do.' Everyone sat down.

'Can I grab a piece of pizza now?' Narah asked impatiently and Kensi nodded. Narah smiled and grabbed the pizza she wanted. But before she could take a bit, a phone started to ring.

'Who brought their phone to dinner?' Julia asked with a warning tone. Kensi smiled cautiously. But the smile soon disappeared when she saw the caller-ID and she almost dropped the phone.

'It's Miss Rooney,' she stumbled.

'Answer it,' Julia said. Kensi took a deep breath and answered the phone. Deeks gestured her to put it on speaker phone and Kensi placed the phone in the middle of the table.

'Good evening Kensi, I hope I am not interrupting anything.'

'No, no, you didn't interrupt at all. We were just about to start dinner…oh you are on speaker phone so we can all hear you.' All four of them were nervously staring at the phone as the seconds went by, wondering why Miss Rooney was calling them.

'I'm calling you because I have some news concerning the adoption.' A little gasp escaped from Narah and both Deeks and Kensi grabbed her hands, squeezing it softly. 'And normally I would come over in person, which I will still do, but the news just arrived and it's already late…It's good news: we approve you as adoption parents for Narah.' Narah let out a scream as she stared in shock at Deeks and Kensi, who were glancing at each other.

'Congratulations!' Julia exclaimed. She was the only one who could find words. They could hear a little laugh from Miss Rooney.

'Congratulations indeed, Deeks, Kensi and Narah. Only thing that needs to be done now is the legalization of the adoption by a judge. This might take awhile and during this time I will come and visit you every thirty days…but getting it legalized is just a formality in most cases. I personally do not expect much trouble there.'

'Oh my God…thank you,' Deeks managed to speak and he looked at Kensi and Narah. It was real now.

* * *

'The house is beautiful,' Nell said to Deeks and Kensi a couple of days later. 'You guys really made it a home.' Kensi smiled at Deeks. They had indeed. Their very own place. They had unpacked most of the stuff and it had really become a home.

'It's a great painting,' Sam said, looking into the direction of the painting that was hanging above one of the couches.

'Ah, it's made by Matt Gordons,' Deeks told them. 'Paul Maltino, the owner of the youth center, donated it to Narah because he is closing the center and moving. He thought she would like it…' Deeks remembered how surprised he was when Narah announced that she needed to go to the youth center and even more when she came back with the big painting. But she wanted to keep it and it deserved a spot in their home. It had been Matt who had brought them together, unfortunately in a horrible way for him. He was the one who had brought their family together so he deserved to be remembered.

'To Marty, Kensi and Narah,' Julia toasted when she had finished giving everyone their first glass of champagne and she raised her glass. Everyone joined in with a smile and toasted to the new family. Kensi smiled at Deeks and he gave her a kiss.

* * *

Narah let herself fall on the bed and she stared at the ceiling. The music filled her head and when she closed her eyes, memories flooded her mind. Happy memories she was not used to seeing. A hand reaching out for her. A warm touch. A mother's touch trying to soothe her child. Two strong arms holding her up in the sky, letting her smile. A father's strength to make her feel safe, like nothing could ever harm her. They were all the memories that had let her cry herself to sleep each night for years. It were all the memories she had tried so hard to forget. But this time the tears didn't come. This time it was a warmth that came over her. A feeling of safety. Now it was okay to remember those moments. Now it was okay to be happy once again. So Narah kept her eyes close and let the memories come to her.

* * *

Kensi had walked upstairs to check up on Narah, who had been upstairs ever since she came back from therapy. When she opened the door to her room she saw Narah lying on the bed, appearing to asleep. It was the smile on her face that made Kensi just stand there and watch her sleep, just for a little while longer. She seemed more peaceful than she had ever been before. It was a look Kensi wanted to see on the girl every day. And that thought scared her. How were she and Deeks going to be able to give her that? The safety and the peace she needed? They weren't the ones who could offer her the stable family life she longed for, were they? Two arms slipped around her waist and Kensi jumped a little before sinking into Deeks' embrace. He rested his chin on her shoulder.

'She looks so peaceful,' he whispered and Kensi nodded.

'I wish she could look like this every day,' she whispered back and Kensi kissed him on the cheek.

'Well, that had become our job now,' he whispered. 'And we will do whatever it needs to keep her happy…do you think we should put a blanket over her?'

'What if it wakes her up?' Kensi asked slightly worried and Deeks released her, stepping into the room. He grabbed the blanket that was lying at the foot of the bed. He gently covered Narah with the blanket and he placed a kiss on the top of her head. Kensi's heart melted right that moment. This was her family now.

* * *

Narah woke up by the vibrating of her phone and she sat up, confused by the blanket that was covering her. She did not have much time to think about it and she grabbed her phone. It was a text of Ivan, telling that he was standing in front of the door. She smiled and got off the bed, running down the stairs towards the front door. Ivan was standing in front of the door with a silly smile on his face. Narah threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

'Let the boy come inside,' Deeks laughed and Narah released him, a little embarrassed by her actions.

'Do you want something to drink?' Kensi asked and Ivan nodded. The rest of the team was looking at them and Narah pulled Ivan into the living room.

'Ivan…this are Sam, Callen, Nell, Hetty, Eric…and you know Julia,' Narah quickly introduced him to everyone in the room. Ivan shyly gave everyone a little wave. Narah turned to Kensi, who came walking in with a glass of coca cola. 'Is it okay if we go to my room?'

'Sure,' Kensi said, handing Ivan the glass. 'Just be back a little before midnight.' Narah nodded and she dragged Ivan upstairs. He took some time glancing around in her room with a little smile on his face. He took in every inch of the room.

'It's a really nice room,' he said.

'Thanks for coming,' she replied shyly and she sat down on the bed, a little confused why she suddenly felt a bit ashamed. She had never been ashamed about something when it came to Ivan. She always felt equal when it came to him. But now she had this room, filled with her own stuff, in a nice home with great parents. It turned out good for her.

'You deserve this, Narah,' Ivan told her as he said down next to her on the bed. Narah rested her head on his shoulder. 'Being you has never been easy…so now it's time that it is easy being you…You're the proof that things can improve for us kids.' He placed a kiss on the top of her head.

* * *

They all sat in the living room with the TV on. There was a clock on the screen, slowly counting down to twelve o'clock. Deeks was holding Kensi in his arms as they were sitting silently. Music was playing softly.

'Where are Narah and Ivan?' Kensi asked as the clock closed in and the teenagers still weren't downstairs. She sat up straight. 'Should I go upstairs and get them?'

'Going in to surprise them?' Sam asked. 'When they are two teenagers? A boy and a girl? Who have known each other really long? We saw how Narah hugged Ivan.' Deeks immediately got up, with a shocked expression on his face, and he headed towards the stairs. The others started to laugh.

'You should not tease him about that,' Julia noted. 'Deeks is a rather protective father.' They heard footsteps from upstairs and soon Narah, Ivan and a red Deeks joined them in the living room.

'Guys, ten seconds left!' Eric exclaimed and he pointed at the TV-screen. Kensi stood next to Deeks and Narah, putting her arms around both of them. All of them counted down the seconds and when the clock hit twelve o'clock the fireworks started.

'Happy New Year!' everyone said. Hugs, kisses and New Year wishes were exchanged.

'Can we go outside to see the firework?' Narah asked and Deeks nodded. All of them walked outside. Outside Ivan put his arms around Narah as they looked up at the sky where the firework lit up the sky. Deeks and Kensi were standing to her side, also in an embrace and looking at each other with love. Callen, Sam, Eric, Nell, Hetty and Julia were smiling and pointed out the beautiful firework. And Narah took a deep satisfied breath. This was the way it was supposed to be. This was her family and it was all good.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 39_

They were strangely normal, their early mornings. It had become a little like an oiled machine. Deeks and Kensi would wake up. Deeks would take a shower and Kensi would wake Narah. Then she would take a shower while Deeks would make them all breakfast. Meanwhile Narah would manage to gather herself and go to eat breakfast with Deeks. As soon as Kensi was finished, Narah would go for the shower and Kensi would eat breakfast. All so perfectly timed that they would be finished with some time to spare, ready to leave for work and school. Deeks had been the observer today and all of it amazed him. It was never like this in the apartment and only in the new house, they were this well oiled machine, ready to take on family life.

'Deeks, ten more minutes,' Kensi told him. 'Narah needs a little longer finding her algebra book. It should be somewhere in her room.'

'Alright,' Deeks said. 'I will put the plates in the dishwasher and I'm good to go.' Kensi smiled and gave him a quick kiss before walking into the bathroom. Deeks grabbed the plates and while he put them in the dishwasher, he thought about what he had observed. He didn't know whether he liked being an well oiled machine. The messy way of mornings like in the apartment was something he liked. Like this there was nothing personal about it. They hardly had time to talk about the plans for the day or whether Narah had a difficult test coming up. Footsteps on the stairs brought him out of his thought and he turned around to see Narah holding up her book.

'Found it!' she said. 'We can go!' She stuffed the book in her bag and ran to Monty to give him a cuddle. Deeks raised his eyebrows. The dog had more interaction in the morning than the three of them.

'Let's go,' Deeks said as he pushed everyone to the door, because with women it could always take an extra ten minutes in case they thought they forgot something. Agent Gomez was already standing on the driveway, next to Kensi's car, and she put her hand up as a sort of a greeting. Well oiled machine, Deeks thought as he watched Narah get in the car with the agent.

* * *

'Anything new on Wendy Lee?' Kensi asked as soon as they walked into the bullpen. Callen and Sam shook their heads and Kensi sighed. In the last couple of weeks all that they discovered was that she was reported missing. They never found her body or a link to Fratres Armis. The gang knew how to cover their tracks.

'LAPD took the case to solve,' Sam said. 'All the results will be given to us as soon as they have them.'

'So we have four murders of which we know Fratris Amris committed...and we can do nothing,' Kensi said and she sat down behind her desk. Frustration grew bigger each day. It was like the gang was untouchable. Members were well drilled and knew death was awaiting them if they talked so everyone kept their mouth shut.

'We have a case!' Eric yelled to them from the balcony and the team walked upstairs. Another case to distract them from the real case, Kensi sighed.

'LAPD responded to a call of domestic violence,' Nell started. 'When they arrived on the scene they found a body, Melissa McNoman-' A picture of the dead woman showed up on the screen. '-and when they searched the house, they found ingredients for a possible bomb and maps with possible locations. Melissa McNoman was married to Petty Officer Dean McNoman, who became a strange man according to his friends. He started to talk about the Navy and the horrible things they had done. That they needed to pay. Neighbors told LAPD that they had called before for domestic violence. They suspected that McNoman was beating his wife.'

'We tried to locate his cell but he seems to have turned it off after the murder,' Eric continued. 'His car was found dumped in someone's backyard swimming pool.'

'Any reason why he would want to bomb the Navy?' Sam asked.

'The McNomans did start to have slight money trouble and the neighbors talked about possible drug abuse,' Eric answered.

'Drugs can make you paranoid,' Kensi said. 'Maybe the reason of why he changed.'

'Okay, Kensi and Deeks, you go check out the crime scene,' Callen told them and Deeks and Kensi nodded. 'Sam and I will talk to his friends.'

* * *

As Narah walked into the English class, the classroom was divided by groups of friends discussing their break with each other. Narah took a deep breath and she walked to the end of the class and dropped her bag next to a desk near the window. She watched the other students laugh and talk with each other. When the teacher entered, all conversations stopped immediately and everyone almost ran to their seats.

'Good morning, everyone,' the teacher said with a loud voice and he started his class. More and more Narah drifted off. Outside was much more interesting than inside, where they were talking about...something. The cars that were passing by. The trees with numerous birds in them. She could even hear their song a little. A few students were sitting in the grass, talking and laughing with each other. Narha was wondering what her friends were doing. They should be in Geography, but they probably skipped the class. Mister Swartz never paid any attention to who was in class or not and teaching wasn't something he was capable of doing.

'Miss Monero?' Narah jumped when she heard her name and she faced the teacher, who was looking at her. Everyone else was looking at her as well. Narah swallowed when the teacher crossed his hand behind his back. 'Can you please tell us about Romeo and Juliet?'

'Umm...a boy and a girl fall in love against the will of their parents because of some family feud and they all die,' Narah summed up and she heard a few of the students laugh. Quickly she turned to see who was laughing.

'Can't say it's wrong,' the teacher said as he slowly walked towards her. When he reached her desk, he dropped a book on it. 'But I suggest you read the entire book.' Narah grabbed the book while the teacher walked back. She browsed through the book and sighed. She didn't want to read Romeo and Juliet, some stupid love story. She had better things to do, like catching up with her math. She turned back to looking out of the window while the teacher continued his lecture about (apparently) Romeo and Juliet.

* * *

'So...did McNoman kill his own wife?' Deeks asked as they walked through the house, hoping to find some indication of McNoman's plan. Kensi glanced at him and shrugged.

'He could have been paranoid,' she said. 'He could have thought that his wife had turned against him and seen her as a threat. A threat that needed to be dealt with...in McNoman's case: by killing his wife.' When they walked into the garage they stood still for a moment, taking in the sight. The wall was covered in pictures, maps and plans. Kensi went over to the bench and searched through the piles of paper.

'He found the instructions for building a bomb simply on the internet,' she noted and she handed Deeks the bomb plans. He looked at them.

'Got to love the internet,' he mumbled. 'Let's make sure Narah never goes on the internet ever again.'

* * *

Aimlessly Narah walked through the school. It was lunch time but Narah didn't exactly feel like going to the cantina to eat with all those people she did not know. She had seen their looks and heard the little whispers during the classes. She knew she was behind and not as smart as the rest of the students but the looks and whispers did sting.

'Hello Miss Tough,' she heard Chris say and she turned to see him behind her. He took a little sprint to catch up with her. Narah did not look at him. 'How is your first day at school?'

'Just brilliant.' Narah tried to take a turn, to get away from Chris, but she didn't want to get lost. Chris grabbed her arm and stopped her from walking.

'You can sit with us if you want,' he told her and he gave a nod in the direction of the field where many students were sitting, enjoying the sun. 'Then you can meet my friends. Some of them are probably in your class.' Narah shrugged but from in the inside she felt kind of eager to go with Chris. Chris smiled a little and she was surprised by her own thoughts. Together they walked to one of the group of students and sat down.

'Guys, this is Narah and she is the newest student at the school,' Chris introduced her and Narah heard greeting coming from every direction. As it turned out Chris had been right and several of his friends were with her in class. Narah felt herself relaxing and was even -to her own surprise- enjoying herself.

* * *

Deeks and Kensi were on their way back to their car when Nell called them. McNoman had made another victim: Bram Laméris. Laméris had been tortured and was then dumped at the side of the road where he had died. He worked with McNoman for two years. So instead of going back to Ops, they were on their way to their new crime scene.

'Bram Laméris was found by a couple who wanted...umm...to spend some time alone,' one of the LAPD officers told them when they arrived at the scene. 'He still had his wallet, which was stuffed in his mouth, but lost his clothes.' Deeks and Kensi got their first look at the body and it didn't look good. There were several cuts on his body and bruises all over. Taking a closer look at his hands they appeared to be broken and all his fingernails were pulled out.

'Someone really wanted to get him to talk,' Deeks noted.

'But did he talk?' Kensi asked. 'And if he talked, what did he talk about? McNoman could have been paranoid so anything could have sounded as a threat to him...'

'If he was paranoid, he would have just killed Laméris, right?' Deeks replied. 'To get rid of the threat.' Kensi slowly nodded.

'Oh...that does not look good,' Rose's nervous voice sounded from behind them.

'Hey, Rose,' Kensi greeted the medical examiner and Rose smiled at her.

'Seems like he died from the blood lost or exhaustion,' she said while she crouched down beside the body. 'Liver temp suggests that he has been dead for maybe three hours...But I will know more once I performed an autopsy on him.'

'Okay, thanks Rose,' Deeks said and he and Kensi walked once again back to the car.

* * *

'Hey Narah, you're heading to PE as well, right?' one of Chris' friends, Hannah, asked Narah, who was standing at her locker. Narah put her books in before nodded in Hannah's direction. Hannah opened a locker close by and grabbed her stuff. Together they headed towards the gym.

'So how is the teacher?' Narah asked and Hannah smiled.

'Miss Condlleda is very nice,' she assured her. 'She is one of those PE-teachers who actually makes PE fun...or as fun as PE can be. And if I remembered correctly...you like basketball so it's your lucky day because at the moment we are playing basketball.' Narah smiled at Hannah.

'I indeed love basketball,' she said. 'I used to play with friends after school in this old gym in our neighborhood. Just playing some basketball and having some fun.'

'Sounds good,' Hannah said and she pointed towards the changing rooms. Then she looked over her shoulder. 'Is your personal bodyguard coming with us into the changing rooms?' Narah looked over her shoulder as well and agent Gomez shook her head with a smile on her face.

'Nope, she is staying outside,' Narah answered.

'Well, some of those personal bodyguards do go into the changing rooms,' Hannah told her while they walked into the room. 'Really strange and kind of inappropriate if you ask me, but their target has to stay protected.' The girls put their bags on the benches in the middle.

'Better not to call them the target,' Narah said. 'Sounds like the bodyguards are going to kill their client.' Hannah raised her eyebrow.

'Client?' she repeated. 'Client sounds really fancy..."I need to protect my client". Yes, very fancy.' Narah averted her eyes to the contents of her bag.

'Yeah...' she mumbled. They looked up when the doors opened and more girls walked into the room. Narah looked at Hannah. 'Can we talk about something else?'

* * *

'McNoman killed his wife and one of his comrades,' Callen said while looking at the file in his hands. 'Navy tested him about two months ago and he was approved. He passed the psychological tests; all of them. So something must have happened between now and two months ago. Why would a man suddenly start to kill people around him and building a bomb?'

'Maybe Laméris found out what McNoman was planning and he wanted to stop his friend,' Sam opted.

'But why would he torture Laméris?' Deeks asked. 'Why not just kill him? That would make it a lot easier. Laméris knew something that McNoman needed to know.'

'And what about the drugs?' Kensi asked. 'Could we confirm that?'

'Rose said that the wife had traces of cocaine in her blood,' Sam told them. 'So we might have been wrong in who was using the drugs.'

'Drugs are not our problem right now,' Callen said. 'McNoman killed two people and he has a bomb. We don't know where he is heading and whether he is planning to kill more people.' All four of them fell silent. All they had were bodies.

'If McNoman wasn't using drugs...how did his car end up in someone's pool?' Kensi pondered out loud. 'He should have been able to drive...or maybe he was injured in some way and lost control over the car...and why did his friends say he had become strange? That he was talking about the Navy needed to pay?'

* * *

Narah tried to suppress a yawn while agent Gomez was driving them home. Her school day had started out as a crappy one but turned into a much better one. She was happy to be playing basketball and it was one of the few things she didn't suck at in comparison with her peers. She could play and not hear the laughs. And most of the classes she had with Hannah, who turned out to be a nice girl. But the day had tired her out. She never had to be so active at school.

'Already tired?' agent Gomez asked with a smile. 'The day isn't over yet.'

'No,' Narah sighed. 'I have like five hours worth of homework.' She noticed agent Gomez slightly shaking her head while she parked her car in the drive way. Confused she watched agent Gomez talk to agent Finley - asking whether everything was secured, Narah knew - before heading out of the car when she got the nod from agent Gomez. She waited for the agent to open the door and she walked inside. She wanted to lie down for an hour or so, just to do nothing.

'I will be in my room,' she told agent Gomez, who gave her a short nod.

'I will come up later with something to drink,' she said and Narah hurried up the stairs. When she opened the door to her room, she started to scream.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 40_

'Ivan!' Narah screamed and she threw her arms about the boy, hugging him tightly. 'Oh my God! I can't believe it! How did you get here?' Ivan started to laugh and returned the hug.

'Some agent came to school to pick me up,' he said. 'Scared me shitless for a moment. I thought I was going to be arrested or something...then I thought something had happened to you and then they explained it.' Narah released him and they sat down on the bed. Narah kept smiling.

'So tell me how everything is going?' she asked him. 'How are Emily and Ming?'

'They will probably kill me because I got to see you,' he smiled. 'We miss you. Classes aren't really the same without you...how is the new school and all the fancy kids?' Narah sighed.

'Well with about every subject I'm behind so that is fun,' she told him. 'But I met some nice people...which is good. Though it's weird going to class without you. Having all different teachers...teachers who actually seem to know what they are talking about...But can we stop talking about school? I want to forget about school. Can't we do something fun?'

'Well don't forget the lovely agent who has to follow you everywhere,' Ivan noted and Narah laughed. She reached for Ivan's hand and he gave her hand a little squeeze. It was good to be sitting in the same room as Ivan. It seemed a little bit more normal than the other times. She was okay with living here but seeing Ivan every day was the thing she missed the most of her former life.

* * *

'So, Ivan,' Deeks said during dinner, looking rather serious. 'How are things at home?' He noticed the boy averting his eyes and it told Deeks enough. He remembered how Ivan had looked the night he had stayed over at their place. How Ivan had fought the idea of leaving his home.

'It's fine, sir,' Ivan answered politely. When Deeks looked over at Narah, he got an angry glance from the teenager. Home was apparently a forbidden subject to discuss at the dinner table or at any other time.

'That's good,' Deeks nodded slowly, not believe the boy for a second. Ivan bit his lip for a moment before he turned to face them again.

'The food is excellent,' he said.

'Thank you, Ivan,' Kensi answered. 'Umm did you discuss with the agent who brought you how you were getting home? Or are you staying for the night?' Narah's eyes lit up.

'Can he stay?' she asked hopefully.

'In the  _guest_  room,' Deeks answered hastily. 'That is why we have an extra bed in the guest room, for when people want to stay for the night.' Narah looked disappointed and continued eating her pasta.

'I would love to stay but...' Ivan started to answer when Narah spoke up again.

'Okay, then that's arranged. Ivan is staying for the night. In the  _guest_  room.' For the last part she glared at Deeks. Deeks and Kensi started to laugh at Narah's enthusiasm.

'Let Ivan finish his sentence, Narah,' Kensi told her.

'I would love to stay, Narah,' Ivan answered, looking at Narah. 'But my brothers and sister are still at home...I should head back for the night.'

'I will give you a drive back,' Deeks said. Then he could see this father of Ivan and maybe talk for a moment. He glanced up when he felt Kensi's hand on his arm.

'I will bring him home,' she told him forcefully and Deeks gave a simple nod.

* * *

Narah gave up on her homework after an hour of frustration and anger. Before he had to go, Ivan had tried to help her with some of the Algebra but it didn't really help. She slammed her book and walked over to her bed. She let herself fall on it and sighed. The ceiling had become familiar. She liked lying on the bed, with some music in her ears, and just staring at the ceiling. It was a very calming ceiling. Her phone vibrate and she grabbed it to check who was texting her. But when she saw the date, she froze. She looked at the numbers and couldn't believe tomorrow was already the day. As she looked at the phone, she remembered the number that was in her phone. The one she had never used and did not want to use. Her eyes went to the notebook that was lying on her nightstand. Ever since she had gotten the book from Jordana, she was remembering more from her parents. Some was good and some was bad. It was blurring her anger and she wanted to keep the anger. She had to be angry at them. She had to as long as she had that number saved in her contacts. The phone fell out of her hand and her eyes turned back up at the ceiling.  _The best I never had_.

* * *

'What if McNoman tortured and killed Laméris to protect someone,' Kensi asked Deeks later that evening when they were sitting on the couch. She glanced up at him and he smiled at her.

'I thought we were not allowed to bring work home,' he said. 'In case Narah overhears any of it and starts to worry.'

'That is for everything concerning her case,' Kensi told him. 'For which we cannot bring anything home since there is nothing.' Deeks stroked her hair.

'It's really bothering you, isn't it?' he asked and she nodded.

'Doesn't it bother you that each time something bad happens, we don't get any further with the case? We just get a little bit more useless information. More threats against Narah. And we're not allowed to interrogate any member of the gang. They have to have a weak link who can tell us everything we need to arrest them all. But instead Hetty has us working on a case, in which the events don't make sense, and the gang goes ahead with threatening our daughter. So yeah, it's really bothering me. How do you stay so calm?'

'Because I might have decided that Hetty can stuff it and I keep working on the case with every free moment I have,' Deeks told her. 'Some of my LAPD friends have their people on the outlook in the neighborhood, just in case something happens.' Kensi pushed herself up and stared at him with an angry look.

'You could have told me that,' she said accusingly. Deeks stroked her cheek.

'I know, but I didn't,' he said. 'Because they haven't come up with anything and I didn't want to disappoint you. But what were you saying about McNoman trying to protect someone?'

'Well, if he was paranoid, he would have simply killed Laméris and he would probably have killed more people by now. Also he wasn't the one taking the drugs...so the fight with his wife could have been about trying to get her to stop using drugs.' Deeks nodded understanding. It could be.

* * *

'Sorry for calling even before you got in,' Nell started off over the phone when Deeks and Kensi were on their way to work the next morning, 'but we got a location for McNoman and it's on your route. His cellphone turned just minutes ago.' Kensi glanced over to Deeks, who gave her a little nod.

'Send us the address and we are on our way,' she replied and not soon after a text came in. Kensi sped up the car. The house they arrived at seemed abandoned.

'The house used to belong to McNoman's aunt,' Nell informed them. 'She was admitted to a nursing home a few months ago. McNoman and his wife were trying to sell the place, but it wasn't going at all. Callen and Sam are on their way as well.'

'Thank you, Nell,' Kensi said and she hung up. One glance at Deeks and they got out of the car, heading towards the house. They saw no movement. Kensi counted till three and they entered the house. Deeks had gone to the kitchen and further to clear it when he heard Kensi tell someone to turn around. He headed out of the kitchen and hurried to the living room, where Kensi was supposed to be. From the doorway he saw Kensi standing with her gun pointed at someone he could not see. He raised his gun as well and entered the room. At the opposite side of the room was standing McNoman and he was holding something that looked like a bomb. Kensi shot a glance at Deeks. Not exactly how they had planned their day.

'Please, let me put it down,' McNoman said. 'It's not armed...' Again Deeks and Kensi looked at each other, not entirely sure what to do. 'I promise. This is not my bomb...I tried to stop them...not help them in any way. They just didn't want to stop. It was the only way I could stop them...There are two more bombs and one more person who knows exactly where they are. So let me put this  _disarmed_  bomb down and I will help you.' Deeks looked at Kensi, who gave him a little unsure nod and both lowered their guns. McNoman placed the bomb on the table. Deeks walked over to him and cuffed him.

'You're under arrest for the murder of Melissa McNoman and Bram Laméris,' he told him. McNoman nodded along. 'Anything you say can be used...'

'I know, I know,' McNoman interrupted. 'Everything I can say is bad and I get a lawyer...You can stop. We need to get going...to get the other bombs!'

'Okay, but we have to tell you your rights,' Deeks told him and he continued to read McNoman his rights.

* * *

Narah had a hard time paying attention to what the teacher was saying. Lunch time had been good with Chris, Hannah and their friends. School was better when you had friends to go to. But somehow she didn't feel as happy as she should be. She knew the reason already, but it could not be the explanation. Because this day hadn't been this hard in such a long time. Each year it came and each time it just passed. This year was different. It was harder.

'Miss Monero, could you please pay attention,' the teacher asked. 'I know the French Revolution might be a long time ago and not that interesting for you but you still need to know it to graduate.' Narah sat up straight and grabbed her pen. The teacher gave her a little nod and she turned back to the board to continue writing. It didn't take long for Narah to let her mind wander off again. She was pulled out of her thoughts when a beeping sound was heard and the teacher stopped writing.

'Okay, guys, it seems to be your lucky day,' she said. 'Just stay calm. It's just an fire exercise. Leave all your stuff behind and form...' The door was opened and two people - who looked like bodyguards to Narah - walked inside. They were followed by agent Gomez and Narah tensed up. Even the teacher seemed a little nervous.

'Dave, Carla and Narah, you can leave the class room,' she said and Narah quickly went to agent Gomez.

'What's going on?' she asked her.

'First I have to get you off the premises, then I can give you an explanation,' agent Gomez told her and she gave Narah a little push towards the exit. There were two more bodyguards with their clients when they headed out. Agent Gomez put Narah in the car.

'Can you now tell me what's wrong?' Narah asked worried.

'There was a disturbance in the lab,' agent Gomez said. 'Hence the fire alarm. We were advised to get you and the others out. The school will be evacuated just as a precaution in case the fire from the lab spreads. LAPD and the fire department are on their way. Soon the situation will be contained.' Agent Gomez turned the car on.

'Chris and Hannah are still inside,' Narah protested. 'Can't you get them?'

'I'm sorry, Narah,' the agent said. 'You're my priority. I have to get you home. When you're home I will ask about your friends.' With those words agent Gomez drove off.

* * *

Deeks and Kensi walked out of the interrogation room, towards Callen and Sam. They had just received a text from agent Gomez, explaining the situation.

'Can you guys take over?' Kensi asked while heading towards the door. 'There was something at Narah's school and Narah has been taken home. McNoman is willing to talk and wants to help us...'

'Yeah, of course,' Sam answered. 'Go see your daughter.'

'We will be back when we can,' Deeks said and they walked through the door. Kensi shot a worried glance at Deeks.

'Do you think it was Fratris Armis who found Narah?' she asked worried. 'That they wanted to grab her at her school?' Deeks noticed the little shake in her hand and he held his hand up for the car keys.

'Give me the keys,' he told her, 'I'm driving. And no, I do not think it was the Fratris Armis. They would not do it like this. It might be just an accident or maybe for another kid.'

'Or someone else for our daughter,' Kensi said and Deeks glanced at her with his eyebrows raised. Kensi sighed. 'Face it, Deeks. We have enemies and we now have a daughter, which clearly is our weakness. Maybe we should stick to homeschooling...at the boatshed.' Deeks gave a little chuckle.

'You do realize that Narah has been our daughter for a week by Social Services,' he said. 'The judge did not approve it yet. So it's not official yet. No enemies of ours can know. Narah has been only at the school for a week. Also not possible to be known yet. Now give me the keys so that we can go see our daughter.' Kensi handed him the keys.

'I'm sorry,' she told him. 'I'm just a little worried.'

'Hey, someone told me that's what being a parent is like,' he said and he gave her a quick kiss.

* * *

'You didn't have to come,' Narah told Deeks and Kensi. 'It was just some experiment that went wrong. Chris and Hannah, who had to stay, said it was all contained in half an hour. In an hour all classes started again. All that I got out of this was a day off school.' Deeks stroked Narah's hair.

'Well, lucky you,' he told her and Narah smiled. 'I guess we were just a little bit too worried.'

'So you can go back to work now,' she told Deeks and Kensi. 'I will be fine, here with agent Gomez and even more homework.' Kensi smiled and from the corner of her eyes Narah saw agent Gomez gesturing Deeks and Kensi over. She pretended to be on her phone while she watched them talk to the agent. They were whispering and agent Gomez' face was concerned. It was more than just some experiment that went wrong. Narah was sure of it.

'Who was at our school?' Narah asked out loud and the three adults turned around. 'For who were they?' They glanced at each other and Narah sighed annoyed. 'I know something is wrong. You are whispering. You never whisper! So why can't you tell me?' She felt herself becoming angry, though she didn't really understand why. 'Never mind!' She grabbed her bag and headed upstairs.

'Narah!' Kensi yelled after her but the tears were too close to falling and she didn't want to cry in front of them. Not for such a thing. This day just sucked.

* * *

Narah had stayed upstairs the entire time, till Kensi had come to get her for her appointment with Jordana. Even in the ride over Narah stayed silent. There was clearly something on the girl's mind that she wasn't willing to share with them. Kensi just hoped she would tell Jordana and that Jordana would be able to help her. Kensi wanted to go back to work, but decided to stay in the waiting room until the session was over. So she was getting an update from Deeks, who had gone back to work, over the phone.

'McNoman told us that the last suspect is Mike Roofer,' he told her. 'He is not at his house and Nell and Eric couldn't trace his phone. He has gone dark...probably meaning that he is getting ready for the detonation of the bombs.'

'Did McNoman know the location of the other bombs?'

'No...he did manage to narrow it down to about ten possible locations but that is too many to check for now. He did say the bomb will detonate this evening at the Navy location. Callen and Sam went to Bram Laméris' place to see if they could narrow it down even more. How are things going with you and Narah?' Kensi sighed and she glanced at the closed door to Jordana's office

'Very silent...I just hope that doctor Beckman can help her.'

'Okay, Eric seems to have found something, so I have to go. Hopefully I will see you two at dinner. Love you.'

'Love you and be safe. Good luck.'


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 41_

Narah could feel Jordana's eyes on her, waiting for her to start speaking, but Narah didn't know where to start. So they sat there, after exchanging their normal greeting and chit chat. Jordana was watching her and Narah was doing her best to avoid her shrink's' gaze

'You do realize you have to talk to solve your problem that is weighting down on you?' Jordana then said and Narah glanced up. Jordana watched her with calm eyes. Eyes Narah had come to know very well after all the time spent with her. Jordana was always kind and patiently waited till Narah was ready to talk. She knew she could tell Jordana everything, but this time it felt different. It felt strange and not right, on this particular day. It was not something Jordana - or anyone - could fix by saying some words. It was something that confused Narah, this time around. And for that she blamed Jordana and her talk of needing to remember. Not remembering was clearly better. But Narah sighed, giving in, and she spoke

'I don't know what to call Deeks and Kensi anymore,' she admitted ashamed to Jordana. 'They are not my parents, because I already have those, and they are no longer my foster parents, because they adopted me. So...I..I...I don't know what to call them.' Jordana slowly nodded and wrote something down in her notebook, that was resting on her lap like always. Narah tried to focus on the writing, trying to decipher what she was writing down.

'What you're feeling is relatively normal for children who get adopted,' Jordana told her. 'And yes, they are not your parents. You already have a father and a mother...but I was once told the difference between a father and a dad; the difference between a mother and a mom. Have you ever heard about it?' Narah shook her head. 'Well, every child has a father and a mother. They give the genes and make the child. A child is bound to their mother and father by blood. But there is also a bound by love. That bound is what makes their father their dad and their mother their mom. The person who told me this said she was born because of her father and mother but adopted by her dad and mom.' A bound by love...and a bound by blood. Narah had to take a moment to take it in. To see if she understood it all. Would that mean Deeks and Kensi are her dad and mom?

'But if Deeks and Kensi are my dad and mom...does that mean...' she glanced down at her hands, uncomfortable with the words she was about to speak. Without understanding the cause of discomfort. '...does that mean I do not love my parents?'

'Do you love your parents?' Jordana asked instead of giving an answer. After a moment of consideration, Narah nodded. 'And do you love Deeks and Kensi?' Again Narah nodded, with less hesitation this time. Jordana smiled. 'You just answered your own question. You can love more parents in a lifetime than just the one you received at your birth. And I don't think your biological parents will feel bad if you started to love your adoptive parents. I think they would be relieved to see you happy, don't you think?' Narah felt that her lip began to tremble and she felt the familiar sting in her eyes.

'But why couldn't  _they_  be happy with just  _me_?' she asked and mid-sentence her voice broke.

* * *

Deeks wiped the sweat and dust from his forehead. They had managed to find Mike Roofer but they only got to disarm one of the bombs. For the other bomb all they could do was evacuate the building. In that they had succeeded. It was only the building that had gotten blown up. They had manage to evacuate everyone in time. No deaths and no injuries.

'Gentlemen, congratulations are in order I believe,' Hetty said when he, Callen and Sam walked back into the bullpen. 'You stopped a dangerous man and kept the people safe. Well done. Go home.'

'No paperwork?' Deeks asked surprised and after the words left his mouth, he got irritated looks from Callen and Sam. He felt like the kid who had reminded the teacher they had homework.

'The paperwork can wait till tomorrow,' Hetty told them with a smile.

'Sounds good to me,' Callen said. 'Anyone up for a beer?'

'Sorry, Michelle is expecting me for dinner,' Sam said while he was gathering his stuff. 'Something about needing to spend time as a family.' Callen glanced at Deeks, who shook his head.

'Sorry, tough day for Narah, so I'm needed at home,' he said. 'Plus Kensi probably wants to know what happened with the case.' Callen sighed.

'That's what you get, G,' Sam smiled. 'When you don't have a girlfriend. I shall ask Michelle if she might know someone...or you come with me. The kids would probably love to see uncle G again.'

'Thanks but no thanks,' Callen answered. 'I just want to get a beer and not become a princess.' Deeks and Sam both laughed.

'You were a very pretty princess,' Sam admitted.

'Please tell me that you have pictures,' Deeks said to Sam, who shook his head still laughing. 'Okay, I have to go. See you guys tomorrow.'

* * *

'She is still upstairs?' Deeks asked when he walked through the door and saw Kensi sitting alone on the couch. Kensi nodded. 'Did she come down at one point.'

'Ehm, when it was time to go to therapy,' she answered. 'And when we got home she went back upstairs, even faster than in the afternoon. Something might have happened during the session, but Narah isn't talking about it.'

'Well, maybe we should try and talk to her...' Deeks suggested while he sat down. Monty came walking towards him and Deeks patted him. 'Hello boy, aren't you supposed to be with your new best friend? Cheer her up a little bit?'

'She took the house phone upstairs,' Kensi said. 'So she probably is talking to Ivan...which might be the best thing for now. I..ahh..wouldn't know how to talk to her now.' Deeks calmly watched her while stroking Monty's fur.

'The day is similar,' Deeks told her and Kensi averted her eyes. He squeezed her hand with his free hand and gave her a kiss.

'Maybe I should go upstairs and talk to her,' she mumbled and he nodded. He gave her another kiss and she walked towards the stairs. The door to Narah's room was closed and she knocked on it. Silence. She knocked again and entered. Narah was lying on the bed, with her back to the door.

* * *

'I would like to have moment alone,' Narah mumbled and Kensi could hear that the girl was trying to hold her tears back. She took a deep breath. This might be hard for her, but right now, it was even hard for Narah. So she walked to bed and laid down.

'And I just want to lie here for a moment,' she said softly. She carefully placed a hand on Narah's shoulder, but Narah shrugged it off. Kensi turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling, waiting till Narah was ready to say something. She heard the soft sobs coming from the teenager but this time she left it alone. She was already next to her. Narah would tell her when she needed the comfort. After a while Kensi heard Narah mumble something and she turned to her side to face her.

'What did you say?' she asked softly and Narah turned to her side as well, with tears rolling over her cheeks.

'Why does everyone always leave?' she whispered and Kensi's heart sank.

'Oh, sweetie,' she said and she wiped away some of the tears. 'Sometimes people leave, even though they don't want to. And sometimes...sometimes it's for the best to leave, even if you can't see it right that moment.' Narah stared at her with watery eyes.

'It's the anniversary of my father's death,' Narah whispered and Kensi stroked her hair.

'I know,' she whispered and Narah broke out into new tears. She pulled the girl in a tight hug and placed a kiss on top of her head. 'I know, sweetie.'

* * *

Deeks wasn't happy with himself for sending Kensi up, instead of going himself. But what did he know about fathers? He only had the crappy one and he couldn't really say he was sad about never being able to see his father. He was glad to be rid of the guy. For Narah it seemed different. It seemed like she was having a more difficult time with her father's death. So that was more something Kensi could handle. But he was Narah's father now. He should be able to go in and console his daughter. He should shove his own feelings about fathers away and listen to her feelings. Dry her tears. Tell her it's okay. Tell her she is not alone in this. Instead he was standing in the kitchen, attempting to make dinner, while listening for sounds from upstairs. But it stayed very quiet. He turned to Monty, who was lying on the kitchen floor.

'Should I go to them, boy?' he asked the dog. Monty lifted his head right away. 'Should we check up on Kensi and Narah?' Monty got up and walked to stairs, waiting patiently for his master to follow. Deeks nodded. That was good enough for an answered. He turned the stove off and walked upstairs, followed by the dog. At Narah's door he waited and listened for any sounds. But it was quiet. He opened the door a little and looked in the room. Narah was lying in Kensi's arms and both of them were asleep.

'Seems like we missed some heart to heart, Monty,' he whispered when he saw the dried tears on both of their faces. Monty climbed on the bed and laid down at Narah's feet. He watched his family for awhile and then kissed both of his girls, before returning downstairs again. He might not be the best feeling-guy, but he could cook for them and feed them once they woke up. Divide and conquer is what they call it, right?

* * *

Deeks had not slept well that night so around 6 a.m. he had given up on sleep and walked downstairs. He positioned himself on the couch with the early morning news on the background. He hoped that at least Kensi and Narah had a better night. They hadn't come back down for dinner, so Deeks had eaten it alone and he had put the leftovers in the fridge. Leftover Carbonara didn't even sound so bad right now. Was it something you could eat for breakfast? Dinner for breakfast was a thing right?

'Deeks?' Narah's voice softly sounded and he was pulled out of his thoughts. He got up and walked to the kitchen where he saw Narah coming down the stairs. He smiled at her and when she was downstairs he gave a hug.

'Are you okay?' he asked and Narah nodded against his chest. He kissed the top of her head. 'Is Kensi still sleeping?'

'She kind of took over the bed,' Narah answered and both started to smile.

'Of course she did,' Deeks said. 'She is like a sea star; covering all of the bed. What about my dog? Is he kicked out yet?' Narah shrugged. 'Okay, do you want breakfast...or shall we just sit on the couch for a while?'

'I know something else we could do,' Narah smiled and Deeks started to laugh. He turned the TV off and put on the radio. Narah handed him his phone and he contacted it to the radio.

'Only...where did we put the headsets?' he asked and they glanced around. 'They should be somewhere here...I know I placed them in the living room.' Narah pulled the headsets out of an abandoned moving box with a big smile. 'Yeah, we meant to unpack that one...' She threw him one of the headsets and put the other one on.

'You can press play,' she told him and Deeks press play. The first keys of  _I will rock you_  sounded through the headset and soon both Deeks and Narah were dancing and singing along.

* * *

'Had been a while since we done that,' Deeks panted when he and Narah were lying on the couch, resting from their intense dance workout. Narah simply nodded, but Deeks could see the smile on her face. He liked seeing her smile. 'We should do this every day...or at least in the weekends.'

'Kensi should do this with us,' she said.

'Then we need to tell her first,' he said and Narah shook her head.

'When you were undercover...Kensi walked in on me dancing and jumping on the couch,' she told him. 'Probably because I didn't bother to get the headset so the music was on loud and I was singing along.'

'How pissed was she?' Deeks asked smiling, imagining Kensi waking up to that.

'Not pissed at all,' she answered. 'She even went along with it. Could have been because it wasn't six a.m. but twelve o'clock.'

'Oh that is nice,' Deeks smiled. 'We should get Kensi involved as well. So that means we got a family date for this Saturday around twelve.' Narah sighed contently and she closed her eyes. They enjoyed their company in silence. Deeks watched Narah as she kept her eyes closed and he wondered if she had fallen back asleep. Just when he wanted to check, she opened her eyes.

'Deeks...could you call Jordana...doctor Beckman?' she asked him, not looking directly at him. Deeks raised his eyebrows.

'Sure I can,' he answered. 'Something on your mind?' Narah shrugged.

'There is something I want to show her,' she answered. 'Do you think she will come with me if I want to go to a place?' Deeks sat up straight and looked at Narah.

'If you talk too secretive, I get worried,' he warned her. 'Where do you want to take doctor Beckman?' Narah started to play with her hands and mumbled something Deeks couldn't hear. 'Could you look at me and repeat that?' Narah took a deep breath and looked up. 'I want to go to...umm...my parents' apartment,' she repeated. 'We...umm...talked a little about it...since yesterday was...umm...you know...and I think I'm ready to talk a little bit more about it...with Jordana...' Deeks nodded understanding, though he felt disappointed that she wanted to talk about it with her shrink, and not with him or Kensi. He was disappointed in himself because that could mean she didn't trust them enough to tell her story.

'I will call her as soon as her practice opens,' he said. 'But you can't expect her to come right away. It might take some time for her to be able to come.' Narah nodded. Deeks nodded as well and he took her hand. 'I'm proud of you that you're willing to do this.' She began to smile while her under lip began to tremble. Deeks pulled her in a hug. He knew where the emotions were coming from. A kid like Narah wasn't told often that someone was proud of her.

* * *

Jordana actually had time at the end of her work day. She was happy that Narah was willing to talk so she was going to make all the time Narah needed. They had agreed to meet at the practice. So Narah was nervously waiting for her shrink to arrive. Deeks and Kensi were standing close to her. One part of her wanted them to be there as well but another part wanted them to stay far away. And to this moment she hadn't decided yet which side was winning. Last time they been to the old apartment, they had heard a little bit of her story there. They had heard the end. But Narah was now ready to tell the start of the end.

'Sorry I'm late,' Jordana said when she walked out of the building. She quickly shook everyone's hand. 'I still had some paperwork to do...but I'm ready now.'

'We know all about paperwork,' Deeks answered. Narah looked at Deeks and Kensi, who were a little uncomfortable with Jordana. She knew they both didn't like shrinks. Thought it would probably be a good thing for both of them to talk with one. She knew both of them had issues.

'Are you still ready to go?' Jordana asked and Narah nodded. 'I want you to know that we can stop at any moment. Even if that moment is when we have arrived at the apartment. If you say stop, we will stop and turn around. We're doing this at  _your_  pace.' Narah nodded again.

'Do you want us to come, or...?' Kensi asked.

'Umm...' Narah hesitated.

'Maybe they can come to the apartment but they don't go inside,' Jordana suggested. Narah looked at Deeks and Kensi, who were waiting for her answer.

'Are you okay with just coming along till the apartment?' she asked them.

'Of course, Narah,' Kensi told her. 'We're going with you till you say we can't go any further. But we would prefer to go till the door...you know, just in case.' Narah nodded.

* * *

To their luck, the apartment had been empty and the landlord was willing to give the key to the apartment, with some convincing of Deeks' badge. Narah felt her hands shake when she stood in front of her old front door. When she closed her eyes, she was back at being seven years old. Deeks gave her shoulder a squeeze and Kensi stroked her hair.

'Are you ready, Narah?' Jordana asked gently and she handed Narah the key. Narah took a deep breath and opened the door. She glanced over her shoulder at Deeks and Kensi, who gave her an encouraging nod. With their encouragement in her mind, Narah stepped inside. It was more empty than when she lived her, but it was still as crappy as she remembered. When she saw the couch against the wall, she had to take a deep breath.

_'Daddy, I have to go to school!' The little girl shook the arm of her daddy, who was lying on the couch. 'Come daddy! Mommy told me you had to bring me!' She shook the arm again but still nothing was happening. She ran as fast as her legs could to the kitchen and held a dish towel under the tab like she had seen her mommy do. He had to wake up. She had to be on time for school. They were going to paint. Running back, the little girl dropped the towel on her daddy's face. Again nothing happened. It always worked with mommy._

_'Daddy!' the little girl screamed and this time she yanked his arm. She hit his chest. Then she saw the big scary needle in his arm._

_'Daddy?' she whispered and tears were falling from her eyes. She tried to remember what her mommy always did but she couldn't remember. She glanced at the door, wanting to go to the nice lady living at number 11. The nice lady would know how to wake up her daddy. But her mommy had told her many times not to leave the apartment without a big person...and there was no big person. So the girl sat down on the floor, in front of the couch, waiting for her mommy to come home from work._

'I waited eight hours,' Narah finished sobbing. 'My mother came home after her day of work, finding me there, still on the floor, with my father dead on the couch. She had lifted me up and had held me tightly. It's the only time I remember her hugging me at that age. Half an hour later the paramedics had taken my father away and it was just me and my mother.' Jordana slowly nodded and looked around in the apartment.

'That must have been really scary and hard to deal with,' she said. 'Finding your father like that and having to wait for so long.'

'I had seen him high before,' Narah replied. 'The only difference this time was that he had been too eager and took too much...enough to die. The scariest thing was having my mother coming in. I was sure she would yell at me for not remembering what to do.'

'You were only seven,' Jordana said. 'It is reasonable for a seven-year-old not to know what to do when her father has taken an overdose and she is home alone...'

'She wasn't mad,' Narah told her, actually feeling the need to defend Alice. 'She took me in her arms and told me I had done nothing wrong. She actually told me she loved me...but not enough to stay around because six months later I was once again waiting for my mother to return home. Only this time she didn't come home and I kept waiting.' Jordana placed her hand on Narah's shoulder.

'You know, Deeks and Kensi won't leave you waiting,' she said carefully and Narah slowly nodded. She knew that. Deeks and Kensi weren't like her parents. They had chosen Narah. Her parents had no choice. She had just been a stupid mistake of two teenagers.

'I have an idea which could help,' Jordana said and Narah looked up. 'You might be uncomfortable with it but I think it might help you in the end..'

'What is it?'

'It might be good to talk to Alice again,' she said and Narah looked shocked at her. 'During one of the sessions, in a controlled environment; controlled by you. We have had quite a few sessions now and questions have come up. Questions that make me think it could be good to meet her again. Plus I think it would be good for you to have something good beside the bad memories...but only if you want to.' Narah took a moment to think about it and then she nodded.

 


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

 

_Chapter 42_

Narah looked into the as good as empty hallway. Most of the students were in the cafeteria, because there were still ten minutes of lunch left, but Narah liked the calmness of the hallway. She looked over her shoulder to see agent Gomez smiling at her. How much longer was the agent going to stay with her? Her case had been quiet for a long time and NCIS must be wanting their agent back for more active cases. Yet, agent Gomez was still following her around.

'Hey, Miss Tough.' Narah turned around to see a smiling Chris walking towards her. 'Good to see you. We missed you yesterday.' Narah gave him a weak smile. She had avoided him and the others because she needed some time alone to deal with her feelings towards her father's death. 'Are you okay, Narah?' Chris had a worried look on his face and Narah noticed his glance over her shoulder towards agent Gomez.

'Oh yeah...I'm just fine,' she answered him. 'I just had...my mind filled with...things.' Chris gave a little meaningless nod and they looked at each other.

'So you missed all the commotion,' Chris started, trying to keep the conversation going. 'The fire turned out not to be a fire...at least that is the rumor that's going through the school. They say it was a kidnap attempt.' Narah looked shocked at Chris. 'Some guys tried to get into the school to kidnap Luke Fennigan. His father is some rich businessman...' Narah glanced at agent Gomez. That would explain why she had taken Deeks and Kensi apart to talk about it. Chris' voice pulled her out of her thoughts. 'But you already knew that...'

'I didn't,' she told him. 'But...umm...I could have know...'

'How...?' Chris stared at agent Gomez. 'The bodyguard...' Narah took a deep breath.

'I knew something was going on,' she told him. 'Other than the fire...'

'Narah, what is going on?' Chris asked. 'Why do you have this bodyguard following you around all the time?' Narah looked once again at agent Gomez, who gave her a little nod.

'She isn't my bodyguard,' Narah started her explanation. 'She is a Special Agent at NCIS and assigned to protect me...I...I, ummm...am the only witness who was willing to speak in a case...in my neighborhood...'

'Wow,' Chris mumbled surprised. 'Wow...that's...not what I expected...so what happened?'

'Umm...I can't really tell you. Sorry...it's complicated and still an ongoing case...'

'So Deeks and Kensi...are they really your adoption parents?'

'They are my real adoption parents. It's actually how I met them...they were assigned to protect me at first...and...umm...it led to an adoption.' Chris looked at her, not saying anything. There hardly seemed to be a reaction on what she just said. 'It's a lot...isn't it?' Chris gave her another nod and Narah wondered whether she made a mistake telling him. The school bell rang and it was like Chris came back to life.

'We should get to class,' he told her. Narah took a deep breath and started to walk away.

'Since when are you so quick to go to class?' Chris asked. He joined up with her and Narah smiled at him. He smiled back. 'Just because it was a bit much, it doesn't mean we can't walk to class together.'

* * *

'We should do something with Narah,' Deeks said as he put his pen down. 'Like a fun day.' He and Kensi were sitting in the bullpen working on their paperwork. Kensi looked up at him.

'Do you have anything in mind?' she asked him but Deeks shook his head. All he knew was that he wanted to do something to cheer Narah up a little. He wanted to see her smile. He hated to see her sad, like she had been because of her father's death. A little bit of happy time was something all three of them could use. Maybe they should invite Julia as well. It already been some time since they saw Kensi's mother and he knew Narah and Julia liked each other. Before he had more time to spend on the subject a sharp whistle made him look up. Eric was standing at the top of the stairs.

'We have a case,' he announced, though that was already clear to them. Deeks and Kensi headed upstairs where Callen and Sam were already standing.

'So this probably means no lunch for us...' Deeks said jokingly at Callen and Sam, who were supposed to get the lunch for today.

'Yes,' Callen answered. 'NCIS has joined Homeland in a case concerning the group Sins Of the Human; an inactive group that seem to have become more active.' He gave Eric a little nod and with one push of a button the screen was filled with pictures and documents.

'The group is relatively small,' he started to tell. 'They took it easy: participating in protests and spreading their message around on the internet. They believe we are destroying our world and that humans need to be stopped. Over the past year they have started to recruit some Navy personal, which is when we got involved with this case. They have been lying low but they started to announce that the day for humans to pay has come.'

'This morning pictures were posted on several sites,' Nell took over and she pulled up the pictures. It were several marines standing next to barrels. 'The barrels contain a deadly toxin gas, fabricated by the group itself. The man who designed it is Michael Aker. He has been with the Navy for over fifteen years. He developed the gas for Sins Of the Human. All he ended up with was a taste of his own gas. He was found, bled out, in his house, along with his wife and their two kids.'

'Do we have any idea where they want to release the gas?' Kensi asked.

'We have been on this case for quite a while,' Callen answered. 'I have contacted the group under the alias Collin Avinor and showed interest in joining their cause. They are eager for new members. At six a.m. they made contact, saying they could use another "brother" in their quest to clear the world of filth. I'm supposed to meet them in two hours at the harbor.'

'Do you think they will tell you where they are going to release the gas?' Deeks asked.

'Callen isn't undercover on his own,' Sam answered. 'For once he has someone else with him. Homeland has someone in the organization as well.

'Meet Drake Thurstone,' Nell said and a mug shot of a young looking guy appeared on the screen. 'He started out as a believer in the cause but started to feel resentment when he found out how far the group was willing to go. He offered himself up, but it was decided by Homeland that he should stay inside to gather more information.'

'I will meet Drake before the meet,' Callen continued. 'He knows almost everyone in the group and has better chance of finding out where the attack will take place. I can find out more about the gas since they're using me as a replacement of Aker.'

'Why would they want a replacement for Aker?' Deeks asked. 'They could have kept him alive if they needed him...'

'Apparently Aker refused to make an antidote for the group,' Callen answered. 'Saying that the members of the group were the same as the other people on this world, destroying our planet. So they had to die as well.'

* * *

Deeks stared at the phone in his hand, toying with the idea of calling agent Gomez and telling her to keep Narah away from any public place. He hated the thought of any possible danger for Narah.

'It's tough, isn't it?' Sam noted as he walked into the bullpen, nodding at the phone. 'You know you can't call and warn her, because she will warn her friends, who will do the same and that will cause panic.'

'I know,' Deeks said slowly. 'But I just want to keep her safe...which is hard when I can't do a thing...how do you deal with it?'

'I work on stopping the attack,' Sam answered and then he smiled a little, 'and I would be holding my phone in my hand, ready to call her and tell her to go far away with the kids.' He put his hand on Deeks' shoulder, as Deeks sighed. 'Being a dad will make you work just a little harder to solve the case. Just so that you can keep your kid safe. That's all that counts when you become a dad.' Deeks nodded.

'Thanks, Sam,' he said.

'No problem, Deeks,' Sam replied. 'Now put that phone away and suit up. Callen is about to leave for his meet.'

* * *

'Can the both of you stop acting so nervous?' Sam asked annoyed, only half an hour later in their surveillance van. 'It's feels like I'm in a van with two rookies who are on their first stakeout.' Deeks and Kensi stopped whatever they were doing and looked apologetically at Sam. Sam took a deep breath.

'So what happens if Callen gets the job?' Kensi asked.

'We make sure he can get the information about the gas out so an antidote can be developed,' Sam answered. 'And we make sure he doesn't get killed like Aker.'

'Sounds like a solid plan,' Deeks said and he looked around in the van, trying to find something to focus on. Sitting in a van, waiting to enter, wasn't Deeks' favorite part. Kensi placed her hand on his knee and he squeezed it with a smile.

'They're moving,' Sam reported and he started the van.

'Where are they going?' Kensi asked. 'Do you think Callen is in and they're going to location?' Sam stayed silent and drove to Callen's location on Nell's direction. They arrived at a neighborhood and stopped in front of a house. They saw a man closing the door and moving through the windows. The van of SWAT parked on the other side of the road.

' _Seems like all is there_ ,' sounded through Callen's microphone and Deeks, Kensi and Sam were immediately on alert. That was the signal that the barrels were inside. Only one more sentence...' _Are we ready to go?_ ' and Deeks, Kensi and Sam headed out of the car, just like SWAT, ready to enter the house. But before they reached the house they heard gunshots and they lost contact with Callen.

'Move in!' Sam ordered and they entered the house. Shots were fired back and forth. Deeks, Kensi and Sam moved forward, in search of Callen. They found him leaning against a wall, holding his left shoulder tightly. Blood was seeping through his hand.

'You had to get yourself shot, didn't you?' Sam joked and he pulled Callen up.

'Had to make sure you were coming in,' Callen replied and all four started to laugh. Callen winced with the movement.

'We should get you to the hospital,' Kensi said. 'Homeland can take over from here. They probably won't mind taking the glory.' They walked to the cars and drove Callen to the hospital.

* * *

'You have to cut the union in small pieces,' agent Gomez instructed Narah as they were standing in the kitchen preparing their dinner. Deeks and Kensi had called to say they were staying a little longer in the hospital. Agent Gomez had been assigned to take care of Narah. Narah concentrated on cutting the union but after a while she put her knife down.

'Aren't you annoyed to be here all the time?' she asked agent Gomez.

'It's my job,' agent Gomez answered. 'I have to stay with you to protect you. You know that.' Narah nodded but that wasn't what she wanted to know. She remembered what agent Gomez had told her around Christmas

'Are you never annoyed that you're barely at home?' Narah continued asking.

'I don't really mind not being home,' the agent said. 'I would only get bored when I am at home. It's more fun to be here, with people around me.'

'You don't have a boyfriend?' Narah asked and agent Gomez stared at her. 'Or am I too curious?' Agent Gomez took a deep breath and shook her head.

'I can understand you want to know a little more about me...' she said and she looked at Narah. 'I had a husband. We got divorced about a month before Christmas. I'm not yet used to living alone in the house. I still expect him to walk in...but he had enough of my work hours.'

'I'm sorry I asked,' Narah said. 'It must have been hard...'

'Well...the love had been gone for a long time,' agent Gomez replied. 'It just took us a long time to admit it to each other...but now I'm here, making dinner with you, and that is perfectly fine. Probably more fun than I would have with him.' Narah smiled.

'Well I really want to know how to make your mother's pasta because it sounds really good,' she said and agent Gomez laughed. They returned to cutting the vegetables, until Narah looked at agent Gomez again. 'Can I ask you one more question?'

'Shoot,' agent Gomez said without looking up from the cutting board.

'Can I call you Maria? Calling you agent Gomez seems a little weird after all these weeks.' Agent Gomez stayed silent for a while and Narah wondered whether she had gone too far with the question. But then the agent smiled.

'Yeah...I think I would like it if you call me Maria,' she answered.

* * *

'Well we only had half a day at school,' Emily told Narah over the phone. 'We had enough after the morning. Ming, Ivan and I went to the gym to throw some hoops. A few guys came over as well. It was almost like how it should be. Only you were missing...' Narah took a deep breath.

'I wish I could have been there...'

'Me too. I miss you. I miss my shopping buddy. You definitely need to come over again...or I could come over at your place and we could discover the shopping malls in your fancy neighborhood.' Narah smiled. She would love to see Emily again. Even if that meant they had to go shopping. Narah heard the front door open and soon after she saw Deeks and Kensi walking in.

'Hey, Emily, I got to go. Deeks and Kensi just walked in. Talk to you soon?'

'Of course! Talk to you later!' Narah hung up the phone and put it on the table in front of her. Deeks and Kensi smiled at her.

'Agent Gomez put some leftovers in the fridge,' Narah told Deeks and Kensi, pointing at the kitchen. 'If you want some...How is Callen?'

'Callen will be okay,' Deeks assured her. 'He can handle a bullet to the shoulder.' He stroked her over her head. 'How was your day?' Narah shrugged and Deeks glanced at the book in front of her. 'Ahh, mathematics. Do you need some help with that?' Narah raised her eyebrow at him.

'You can do math?' she asked him and Deeks sat down next to her.

'Hey, don't act so surprised,' he told her. 'Kensi might have the brains, but I sure have them as well. Behind all the jokes hides a true genius.' Narah nodded, not believing him at all, but she pushed the book towards him. Her smile grew as she saw Deeks becoming more and more confused.

'Everything alright, Deeks?' Kensi asked, who had joined them at the table. Deeks looked up from the book at both girls.

'I said I could do math,' he told them, 'but this isn't math. This is pure evil. There aren't even numbers to begin with. This is wizardry. We definitely need to talk with your teacher and tell him to teach you some real mathematics.' Narah and Kensi started to laugh. Kensi took the book and looked at it.

'I can help you with this,' she told Narah and she turned to Deeks. 'You should warm up the leftovers while I help Narah with this.'

'Good luck with your sorcery,' Deeks joked while he walked to the kitchen and Kensi sat down next to Narah. As Kensi tried to explain the math and Deeks was warming up the leftovers, Narah smiled.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 43_

The morning was a little bit different from the other mornings. Everyone seemed to feel nervous for this day. Kensi could hear Deeks walking around downstairs. From Narah's room came no sounds so Kensi knocked on the door.

'Narah?' she asked. 'Are you ready?' The door opened and revealed Narah. She was dressed, which was a relief for Kensi, but behind Narah was a mess of clothes of books.

'I will be right there,' Narah answered. 'I just...need to know which clothes to bring...and I can't find my math book.'

'Your book is downstairs,' Kensi answered while walking into the room. 'On the kitchen counter. And you should find something you're comfortable in.' Narah held up a hoodie and then smiled.

'I can't go to court in a hoodie,' she said. 'I need something decent.' Kensi noticed that tears were threatening to fall from the girl's eyes and she wrapped her arms around her. Narah buried her face in Kensi's chest. 'What if they don't agree with you and Deeks adopting me?' Kensi placed a kiss on top of Narah's head.

'Miss Rooney told us it's more like a formality,' she assured the teenager. 'The approval of Social Services is really important. She told us not to worry about the legalization.' Narah slowly nodded and Kensi lifted the girl's head to wipe some of the tears away. 'Now we should find a nice dress for you and then we should go down to stop Deeks from walking a hole in our floor.' That got a laugh from Narah and Kensi started to go through the big pile of clothes.

'Agent Gomez is taking me to the courthouse, where I am meeting you, right?' Narah asked and Kensi nodded, holding up one of Narah's dresses in front of her. Narah also gave a nod.

'That's right,' Kensi answered while she handed Narah the rest. 'Okay, we should go downstairs and get you some breakfast.'

* * *

'You are all ready for this afternoon, right?' Deeks asked when he and Kensi walked into the bullpen. Callen and Sam both nodded.

'Yes we are,' Sam answered. 'Michelle, Aimee and Sarina will be at your place as well. And Michelle will pick up the cake on their way.' Deeks smiled and he put his bag next to his desk.

'Are you two ready to become Narah's official parents?' Callen asked.

'Doesn't feel like it will be only real as from this afternoon,' Kensi answered. 'We have been living towards this day for a couple of months now, so we are ready. Maybe a little nervous for the tiny chance that the judge doesn't agree with Social Service and he won't legalize the adoption...but like I said: only a tiny chance.'

'I say we send Hetty after the judge when he does that,' Deeks said and they all started to laugh. They stopped when they saw Granger walking into the building.

'What is he doing here?' Callen asked.

'As long as he isn't going to mess up our day,' Deeks said and they watched Granger closely. To their surprise he walked to the bullpen instead of Hetty's office. He stopped in front of Kensi's desk and Kensi looked wide-eyed at Deeks.

'I heard that you and mister Deeks are expending your family,' he started and Deeks shrugged at Kensi, looking worried. To their greatest surprise Granger began to smile.

'No need for the worried looks,' he assured them. 'I just wanted to congratulate the both of you.' Deeks and Kensi took a relieved breath and nodded with a smile.

'Thank you, sir,' Deeks said. Granger looked at Kensi for a little while and he leaned towards her. His eyes rested on her for awhile.

'Your father would have been proud of you for doing this,' he then said with a softer voice so that only Kensi would hear it. She smiled weakly and gave him a little nod as he walked away. Deeks shot a questioning glance in her direction.

'What was that about?' he asked and Kensi noticed Callen and Sam looking at her as well, with great interest. 'What did he say to you?' Kensi was still smiling a little.

'He is not all bad,' was all that she told them and she turned to her paperwork. She saw Deeks looking at Callen and Sam for help but both men shrugged.

* * *

Narah was making her way to the car, shaking from head to toe. Maria was smiling at her. When she heard her name, Narah turned around to see Chris and Hannah heading towards her.

'Just wanted to wish you luck,' Chris smiled at her.

'Thank you,' Narah replied. Hannah wrapped Narah into a hug. Narah hesitated for a moment but then returned the hug.

'You look great in that dress,' Hannah told her and Narah smiled. Kensi had indeed picked out a great dress. It was a simple lace black dress. Narah loved the simplicity of it and the perfect fit of the dress.

'Narah, we have to go,' Maria said and Narah took another deep breath. Hannah hugged her again and Chris gave her shoulder a squeeze. In a quick pace she walked to the car and got in.

'Are you ready?' Maria asked and Narah nodded. 'Kensi just texted me that she and Deeks are on their way to the courthouse as well. They will wait for us at the entrance.' Narah glanced out of the window. Today it was finally happening. She would have a family again. They had lived towards this day and Narah had many conversations with Jordana about this moment. And in this moment she was so scared. It would be all good; that was something Narah was sure of. She was closing the chapter of her past. She would have a home and family to return to every day instead of being unsure all the time.

It didn't take them too long to arrive at the courthouse and Narah grew more nervous. Maria dropped her off in front and drove off to park the car. Deeks and Kensi were at the entrance, like they said they would, and they both hugged her.

'Let's go,' Deeks smiled and he wrapped his arms around Kensi and Narah. 'Time to be a family.'

* * *

Narah was jumping up and down in the backseat of the car. Deeks and Kensi now were her parents; her official parents. No more foster families or Miss Rooney. That time was over now. She was now Narah Deeks. It would take some time to get used to Deeks' last name , but they decided on Deeks because Kensi said that one day she would become a Deeks as well. Narah noticed Maria's car parked in the driveway, which surprised her because she would have thought that Maria had the afternoon off. There was no need for a protection detail when Deeks and Kensi were around.

'Narah, are you coming out of the car?' Deeks asked. Narah had missed them getting out of the car. She nodded smiling and got out. When Kensi opened the front door, Monty greeted them happily. Deeks grabbed Narah gently at her shoulders and guided her to the garden. Narah looked confused at Kensi, who just smiled. Kensi opened the doors to the garden and Narah was greeted by the sight of their friends and family. All of them were standing in the garden, holding their glass up in the air. Kensi handed her and Deeks a glass as well and Deeks raised his.

'To Narah Deeks,' he toasted.

'To Narah Deeks,' the others toasted in chorus and everyone took a sip from their drinks. Narah couldn't do anything but smile. Then she saw Ivan, Emily and Ming standing to the side and she ran to her friends, hugging them tightly.

'Congratulations, sister from once again other mother,' Ivan whispered in her ear.

'It's so great that you are here!' Narah said enthusiastically. She had missed her friends. From the corner of her eyes she saw Chris and Hannah standing. 'Oh, I want you all to meet my other friends.' She pulled Ivan, Emily and Ming over to her other friends and introduced them to each other. She noticed Ivan and Chris staring at each other, a little longer than normal , but she had no time to watch more of it as people wanted to congratulate her.

* * *

Kensi stood in the kitchen with Julia by her side, cutting some more bread and getting more snacks. She looked out of the window into the garden, where Narah and all their friends seemed to have a good time. Lot of talking and smiles on their faces. The doors opened and Deeks walked inside.

'I will leave you two to it,' Julia said while she gave Kensi's shoulder a squeeze and she walked out of the kitchen. Deeks followed her.

'Don't have to leave, grandma,' he joked and Kensi's eyes grew wide. What did Deeks just say? Deeks held up his beer and moved into the kitchen, but Julia smiled at them.

'Grandma...' she mumbled. 'I actually like the sound of that.' Deeks and Kensi started to smile as well and Julia continued her way to the garden. Deeks walked over to Kensi, who just turned around to continue cutting and he wrapped his arms around her waist. He softly kissed her in her neck.

'What are you doing?' Kensi asked smiling while she turned around in his arms, so she was facing him, and put her arms around her neck. They moved closer to each other and kissed.

'I just wanted to congratulate you on becoming a mom,' Deeks said between the kisses.

'Well, congratulations to you as well, daddy,' she smiled.

'Are you happy?' Deeks asked and Kensi looked confused at him. 'I know commitment can be a bit scary for you and all of this...' She cut him off with a kiss.

'I couldn't be happier,' she promised him.

* * *

'How are you feeling?' Narah asked Callen, when she took a moment away from her friends to mingle with the other people at the party. 'How is the shoulder?' Callen rolled his shoulder and smiled.

'Feels a lot better,' he answered.

'G is used to bullet holes all over his body,' Sam said smiling, putting a hand on Callen's good shoulder. 'Only the people around him aren't that used to it.' The three of them started to laugh. Narah turned around when someone touched her arm.

'Would you like to dance?' Chris asked. There had been some soft music playing and a couple of people had started to dance. Narah looked at those people and then back at Chris, who had a faint smile on his face. She had never really danced with a boy...but there could be worse times to try it for the first time. She felt a little nudge from Sam in her back.

'Don't keep the boy waiting,' he whispered at her. Narah smiled and she grabbed Chris' extended hand. He led her to a place with a little more space so they could dance. Narah was glad that Chris knew how to dance and how to lead because now she wouldn't look like a total fool.

'Congratulations again,' Chris said softly. 'It must be a great feeling to have finally found your place...a home.'

'Thank you,' Narah said and she felt that she started to blush from Chris' gaze on her. While they were dancing, Narah noticed her old friends sitting secluded from the rest of the guests. This may have become her new life with her new friends...but it didn't really seem like her old friends and her old life fitted into it. She turned her gaze back at Chris and smile. 'Umm..thank you for the dance, Chris...but I should go see my friends...' He turned his head in the direction of her friends as well and gave a little nod before letting her go. Narah gave him a quick smile and she walked over to her friends.

'Hey, Miss Deeks,' Emily smiled and she raised her glass at Narah, who sat down in the grass beside them.

'Thank you,' she smiled. 'Are you having a bit fun? I know it's not really a party we're used to back home...'

'Well this is your home now,' Ming noted and Narah averted her eyes to her hands. 'Which is totally cool and stuff...but...umm...like you said...not really our place...but we're really happy for you...we...umm...just have to get used to it. That's all.'

'But tell me about that cute guy...Chris?' Emily said and she moved closer to Narah.

'Chris is just a friend,' Narah answered. She looked up and saw Ivan looking at her. 'Just a friend...' Emily said something and started to laugh but Narah didn't get it. She was staring at Ivan, who hadn't said a word. 'You okay, Ivan?' He smiled at her.

'Of course,' he answered. 'I just have to remember that you are now my sister from yet another mother.' He also moved closer and put his arm around her shoulder. 'Which is getting confusing. Please stick with these guys.' Narah started to laugh.

'I'm pretty sure I will,' she assured him.

* * *

'We will see you at work!' Deeks said to Sam, when he, Michelle and the kids got in their car. The last of the guests were leaving and Deeks and Kensi stood at the door saying goodbye to all of them. Michelle gave them a last wave before the car disappeared from sight. Deeks took a deep breath.

'That went well,' he said relieved. 'It was a good party.'

'It was,' Kensi agreed. They turned around but stopped when they saw the small mess that was left over. 'Should we just leave it till tomorrow? A new day to clean up the mess.'

'That sounds like a good plan,' Deeks said. 'I'm in need of some sleep. But I will check up on Narah and her friends first. I haven't heard them in quite some time...'

'Don't storm into the room!' Kensi shouted after him as he went up the stairs. Upstairs it was really quiet. Even when Deeks walked towards Narah's room. He opened the door slowly and looked inside. He smiled when he saw Narah, Emily, Ivan and Ming. The four of them all crammed into the bed. He noticed how close Narah and Ivan were lying to each other and the boy's arms around her. He needed to take a deep breath to stop himself from going inside and remove Ivan's arms from Narah's waist. Two arms slipped around Deeks' waist and Kensi rested her chin on his shoulder.

'They look all so sweet and innocent together,' she whispered in his ear.

'Well, not those two,' Deeks said and he pointed at Narah and Ivan.

'Deeks, you know better...they are like brother and sister,' Kensi said and she kissed his cheek. 'Nothing to worry about. Beside, Ivan knows what is waiting for him when he hurts Narah. He has seen Callen and Sam.'

'Hey!' Deeks protested and Kensi started to laugh. She placed a kiss on his lips and let go of his waist. She took his hand and pulled him gently towards the bedroom.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes. 
> 
> I hit a writer's block for this story with this chapter back when I wrote it. As I was writing the story, it took a life on its own and got away from me...a different direction than I had planned. I talked it over with my sister for some time and decided there had to be an ending coming to this story. It suddenly felt like it wasn't working anymore. Also that cause the writer's block because I didn't know how the tie the loose ends of this story, which I wanted to do, in a way it made sense. I couldn't find it. I'm still not sure if I have found it, but there is something now.

_Chapter 44_

A week later 'Narah Deeks' was still the first think that came to Narah's mind when she woke up and each time she couldn't stop smiling. She never thought she would be this happy with just a name change. But there was so much behind it. There were new, and real, parents behind it. Something she always wanted and finally had. It still felt so unreal. A family was always something Narah fantasized about until it hurt too much. She imagined having a father and a mother...sometimes it would even her biological parents...but she never knew it would be like this.

'Narah! Get downstairs and eat your breakfast!' Kensi yelled from upstairs. 'We're running late!' Narah smiled. This was not like her fantasies, but it was good. Good enough to give up the fantasies.

* * *

'Already regretting the choice of adopting a teenager?' Callen joked when Deeks walked into the bullpen yawning.

'It was just a short night,' he explained, 'and it had nothing to do with a very well behaving teenage daughter. It had to do with a dog who felt left out and decided that the middle of the night was a perfect time for bonding. Kensi even kicked me out of the bed because of Monty scratching at the door.'

'Well, I couldn't get any sleep because of your dog,' she answered.

'Yeah, so I ended up walking Monty for an hour,' Deeks continued his explanation, 'but the fresh night air had woken me up so that I couldn't even fall asleep anymore. The dog did get his sleep, just like the girls of the house, but not me. I think I finally got some sleep at three a.m. So for once I perfectly content with a day of paperwork.'

'Oh now you jinxed yourself,' Sam laughed.

'It will be good to have a day full of action,' Called added. 'Keeps you awake and will ensure a good night's rest.'

'I already told him about the jinx and he didn't even...' Kensi was interrupted by one of Eric's sharps whistles.

'I will blame you if this will cause us to be here all night,' Sam said, pointing at Deeks who looked so saddened by the whistle.

* * *

Deeks leaned towards Kensi as he placed the plates on the table and he gave her a kiss. Kensi smiled and she looked at him.

'What are you doing?' she asked him. He kept his eyes on her for a moment longer, taking her all in. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

'Nothing,' he answered her, 'you're just so beautiful.' Kensi gave him a kiss before she walked back to the kitchen. Deeks followed her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck. Kensi turned around, putting her arms around his neck.

'We should be setting the table for dinner,' she told him smiling and she gave him a kiss. 'Not this...what if Narah walks in on this?'

'She will just see her parents,' he replied, 'loving each other. She has seen us kiss before...though maybe you're right. Maybe I should stop.' He gave her one last teasing kiss before walking over to the table with the salad bowl. Kensi laughed and threw a napkin at his head.

'Dinner is almost done,' she said to him, returning to business. 'Can you get Narah downstairs?' Deeks nodded and he called for Narah. He listened at the bottom of the stairs whether he heard some movement from her room. Sometimes Narah was listening to her music, which would be too loud, and he had to run up the stairs to get her. But this time he heard her walk so he returned to the table. Without saying a word Narah sat down at the table and Deeks noticed a slight blush on her face.

'So, what were you doing upstairs?' he asked her curiously. 'Homework?'

'Ummm...yeah...' she answered distantly. 'Should I get the water?' She left as soon as she saw Kensi nod. Deeks watched her fill a can of water. The silence continued when she returned and they started dinner. Well, Narah was mostly playing with her food instead of eating it.

* * *

'Everything alright, Narah?' Deeks asked her once dinner was almost over. Kensi gave him a questioning look and Narah avoided his gaze. 'Is there something you wanna share with us?'

'Ummm...remember Chris?' Narah asked. 'From the party...my friend from school.' Deeks frowned. He certainly remembered Chris and he also remembered the looks of the boy so he was wondering where this was going.

'Yes we do,' Kensi answered. 'He seemed nice.' A little smile appeared on the girl's face and Deeks turned to Kensi, who shrugged and raised her eyebrows.

'Well...he kind of asked me out on a date...actually he did...he wanted to watch a movie with me this Friday.'

'What?!' both Kensi and Deeks replied. He didn't know what to think anymore. Narah on a date...with Chris...a boy he hardly knew...a boy Narah hardly knew...Narah wasn't going on a date with some boy!

'I haven't given him an answer yet,' Narah said. 'Because I don't know how to reply...'

'How do you feel about Chris?' Kensi asked. 'Is it like a friend or could it be something more?' He rubbed his hand over his face.. He didn't want to hear that. Chris was just a friend and Narah wasn't going on a date. She's too young! Parent for a week and he already had to deal with the possibility of his teenager dating!

'Maybe you should go...' Kensi added, shocking Deeks.

'What?!' he exclaimed but there was already a smile on Narah's face and before Deeks knew it, she was running back up the stairs, content with Kensi's answer. He turned to Kensi. 'Why did you give her permission to go on a date? We don't even know Chris!'

'But we do know Narah and she knows Chris,' Kensi answered him. 'Don't you trust her making the right decision?'

'I do trust Narah,' Deeks, 'most of the time...but Chris is a boy...a teenage boy. I know boys at that age.' Kensi laughed and she kissed him gently.

'She will be alright,' she said. 'And if he is not, agent Gomez will shoot him.' Deeks smiled a little. He still wasn't happy with it, but Kensi was right. She had her own NCIS agent to keep her safe.

* * *

'You look happier,' Jordana said as Narah sat down in the usual chair. Narah smiled at her. It was for the first time she felt like she was near the end of therapy. That is was going towards something where she no longer needed it.

'I'm feeling happier,' she said. 'The adoption is finalized: Kensi and Deeks are my official parents. I'm a Deeks now.'

'Congratulations,' Jordana smiled. 'Do you feel like this closes some chapters? Those to your past?'

'It will be chapters I'm probably gonna reread,' Narah answered honestly, 'but yeah...it feels like closed chapters to me.'

'What about your mother? How do you see her in your new life?' Narah had to take a moment to think about it as she was not sure what the answer was. Alice was the link to her past. Her only link to getting to know her history and where she came from.

'I think I would like that,' she answered. 'I would like some contact...maybe seeing her from time to time. Get to know my half-brother. A bad past is also a past and it made me who I am. I think I can learn from that...'

'Sounds like you figured some things out,' Jordana said and Narah gave a little shrug. She wasn't sure about that. Things were still unclear for her, but the big lines were there. The lines she needed to go on.

* * *

Narah felt relieved when she walked out of the building where Jordana's practice was. It had been a good session and she didn't felt as heavy as she sometimes did after her sessions. She was still able to breath and there wasn't a lot racing through her mind. It felt clear and maybe even a little empty.

'Narah?' her voice was soft and there was a hint of insecurity in it. Narah took a deep breath before she turned to her mother. Her mother had a little smile on her face when she looked Narah over. 'You look good...are you doing okay?'

'How did you get here?' Narah asked, ignoring Alice's question and she noticed Maria's presence somewhat more next to her.

'I had an appointment in the building down the stairs,' Alice started to explain. 'I was on my way to the care when...umm...when I saw you...and I know you don't really want to see me...you made that clear...and I understand...but I couldn't just let you walk...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have...'

'Ummm...it's okay,' Narah replied, glancing at Maria if she thought the same. Maria gave her a little nod and took a step back. Alice's lip trembled as she smiled a little more

'Thanks...I know this must be strange,' she said. 'Certainly not what I expected when I woke up this morning...' Narah nodded slowly, thinking about her week. First Chris with his date and now Alice with her surprise visit. Well more like bump-into-each-other-on-the-street. 'Umm...maybe we could go to a cafe or something?' Alice suggested carefully, 'and get a drink?' Narah right away glanced over at Maria, which Alice seemed to notice immediately. 'We don't have to...never mind...'

'No!' Narah interrupted. 'I think I would actually like that...but I can't today. I need to go home...but maybe another time?' Alice nodded.

'I would like that.' She smiled and handed Narah a card. 'My phone number is on there...I know Kensi has it as well but maybe...now you have it yourself.'

'Thank you,' Narah replied and she took the card.

'We have to go, Narah,' Maria interrupted as she stepped closer. Narah nodded and smiled weakly at Alice, not really knowing how to end this conversation.

'Thank you,' Alice said after a few seconds of awkward silence, 'for giving me a second chance.' Narah smiled, genuinely this time, before walking over to the car where Maria was waiting for her.

* * *

Narah had changed her outfit over fourteen times. She wasn't sure. What did you wear to the movies, on a possible date? She had asked Kensi, but she had replied just to wear whatever what made her feel comfortable. Well at the moment nothing felt comfortable. Every piece of clothing she had, seemed to look horrible on her or it itched or something else. Nothing seemed right. She really wanted to text her friends, but she knew they would freak out and she would never get advice. And about Ivan she had no clue. At the party they didn't seem to like each other. Not that they actually spoke to each other. Ivan also had seemed quiet after her dance with Chris. She hoped it was just his protective side and not some other weirdness.

'Narah, agent Gomez just arrived!' Kensi yelled up. 'Are you ready?' Narah ran a hand through her hair. Now she really had to put on something. Maybe she should just close her eyes and believe that her body would guide her to the right things. So she did. When she saw what she picked, she immediately threw it away. Definitely not her pajama pants. What could she wear? A quick glance on her alarm clock told her it was really time to just pick something and go for it. Narah took a deep breath and turned to her closet. There were only a few clothing pieces inside, but she did find something she didn't hate right away. It was a flowing sea green summer dress. When they bought it, she really liked it, but she had never really worn it. Maybe for one dinner at Julia's. But this had to be what she would wear to her date...the word still sounded strange. Strange to think she was going on a date with a boy.

'Narah?!' Kensi yelled again.

'I'm coming!' Narah replied and she put the dress on. Looking into the mirror, she gave herself a little nod. It had to do. It wasn't perfect, but yeah, it could applied a little make-up and hoped Deeks wouldn't notice. She knew he wouldn't like her wearing make-up to a date. He didn't even like her going on a date, so she just had to rush past him. For her shoes she grabbed her grey All-stars and she ran down the stairs.

* * *

The car ride to the cinema was nerve-racking. Chris would be waiting for them over there and Narah knew that. It made her nervous, but a little excited as well. It felt special being asked on a date. A real date, or at least Narah thought that going to the movies counted as a real proper date. When they arrived, Maria opened the door for her and they walked inside, where Chris was indeed waiting. She could see he had dressed up for the occasion, but still casual. It made her wonder if he had been in front of his mirror all day as well? Narah had to say he looked good in his simple blue jeans, jacket and grayish shirt underneath. He smiled when he saw Narah and she returned the smile.

'Wow, you look beautiful,' he complimented and Narah felt a little blush creeping up.

'Thank you,' she replied, 'and you look great as well.'

'I already got us the tickets,' he said. 'Do you want to get some drinks and popcorn?' Narah nodded and they walked to the counter to place the order. She noticed that he tried to keep his eyes from Maria, who had to follow them, and she smiled.

'You will get used to it,' she assured him.

'Oh, I'm sorry,' he said. 'I never been on a date with a girl who was chaperoned...especially not by someone who's carrying a gun...'

'As long as you don't have any plans of hurting or killing me, you will be fine.' Chris laughed.

'I wouldn't dream of it,' he told her. Narah looked at him and found him staring at her. The blushing became worse and she was sure that by now she looked like a tomato. The guy behind the counter gave them their drinks and food and Chris paid.

'Shall we head inside?' he asked and Narah nodded. She found herself a little lost for words. It felt strange and uncomfortable not knowing words.

* * *

Deeks parked his car and looked through the window at Narah who got out of the car. He noticed the little stare and nod agent Gomez gave him. This was just something he felt like he had to do. He knew teenage boys and this was his daughter. Date or no date, he would keep an eye on them. That boy would behave himself. He lost visual on Narah when she got inside, but he trusted agent Gomez to keep an eye on them. It was silent in the car and Deeks looked around. He should have prepared better. He was a federal agent; he had been on stake-out, but he brought nothing. Maybe he should run inside and get something to drink...maybe some food as well. If he was quick, Narah wouldn't notice him. By now they would have entered the room, right? His phone vibrated and he opened the text.  _They are in the room. Just sitting next to each other. No touching of body parts._ Deeks laughed as he read agent Gomez' report. Maybe this was a bit too much. He could just go back home. Kensi didn't seem too happy about having to spend the evening with Monty, instead of with him as she had expected. Alone time with Kensi sounded really good...and Narah was here with agent Gomez to keep an eye. This stake-out was crazy work. Deeks started the car and quickly drove back to their house.

Kensi turned her head when Deeks entered the house. He walked over to her and kissed her on the lips, before sitting down next to her.

'I thought you had an important mission concerning horrible teenage boys,' Kensi said and Deeks smiled.

'Nah, no need for that,' he said casually. 'We can trust them.' Kensi started to laugh.

'Yeah, you seemed really trusting of Chris when Narah asked permission for the date,' she replied. Deeks leaned towards her.

'Well, I was sitting there...all by myself...' he started, 'and then I was reminded of the gorgeous woman that would be all alone in this big house. I was clearly needed somewhere else than at the movie theater.'

'Oh I was never alone,' Kensi told him and Deeks felt wounded. 'I had this old dog keeping me company instead of my overprotective boyfriend who needed to keep an eye on our daughter...which was kind of hot, if I'm honest.' He laughed and he gave her a kiss.

'I can be really protective,' he whispered against her lips.

'I know,' she whispered back. 'And I love that about you.'

* * *

The movie had been good and the drinks afterwards were nice as well. The talk came easy to Chris and Narah. But it still felt a little strange, a little different, from the normal time they would hang out. Narah was convinced it was by the name they gave to their hanging out tonight: a date. The nerves were worse when they were getting out of the car and Chris asked if he could walk her to the door. Narah had seen movies and heard stories.

'I had a great evening,' Chris told her as they walked to the front door. Outside of it they stopped. Narah looked at him. He looked different in the outside light. Different than the first day she had met him.

'Me too,' she replied, remembering he might be waiting for her to speak.

'Wel...I guess I will have to head back now,' he said. 'Your parents will be waiting for you...and mine probably too...' Narah had no idea what to reply to that. "Yes, I guess" sounded so stupid in this moment. Her train of thoughts was cut off when she saw Chris leaning a bit towards her. She knew what was going to happen, and it that moment she froze. She didn't know what to do. His lips softly touched her and it wasn't horrible. The kiss ended quickly, but it told her everything. When she looked at Chris, he was smiling shyly. Narah tried to form words.

'I'm sorry,' Chris then said and it made Narah feel bad.

'No, don't be!' she said. 'It was nice...it's just...I don't think...I don't know...I'm not sure. I think...it's just friends for me...ohh...that sounds horrible...I'm sorry.' Chris' smile cut off her rambling and she looked at him, giving him a chance to speak.

'It's okay, Narah,' he assured her. 'You're a great girl and if you don't feel it...we'll be just friends. I'm good with that. Like I said, you're a great girl.'

'And you're a great guy, but...' Narah heard herself say the words and she laughed. 'I'm not making it that much better, am I.' Chris laughed.

'I know what you mean,' he told her. A silence fell between them, both not sure what to do. Narah certainly didn't after that awkwardness. Chris was the one to break the silence. 'Can I give you a hug before I go?'

'Of course,' Narah smiled and he gave her a hug. 'Thank you for this great evening.'

'My pleasure,' he replied. 'I will see you in school on Monday?' Narah nodded and she watched Chris walk over to Maria, who would bring him home. Suddenly she realized Maria had seen all the awkwardness and she felt so ashamed. It was already horrible going through it herself, let alone knowing someone had seen it.


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Chapter 45_

Deeks studied Narah's face as she walked into the house. He and Kensi were sitting on the couch, pretending to watch TV to give Chris and Narah some privacy. They could hear what they were saying nor could they see him, so Deeks had to trust his detective skills to figure it out.

'How was the date?' Kensi asked. Narah walked into the living room and sat down on the other couch. She smoothed her dress out. Was that hiding? Good hiding or bad hiding?

'It went well' Narah answered and she smiled.

'Well?' Deeks repeated, needing more than just that. Good could mean a lot of things and a lot of those things called for him to talk with the teenage boy.

'The movie was good and funny,' Narah started to tell. 'And we had a nice talk during drinks after the movie. He was really nice and polite.' She turned to Deeks in particular. 'You have nothing to worry about.'

'Why would I worry?' Deeks asked. 'We trust you completely to be wise when it comes to...this...dating...' Kensi burst out in laughter and Deeks glanced over at her. 'We are!'

'Nothing really happened!' Narah said. 'We decided to be just friends.'

'Aha, just friends,' Deeks nodded. 'That's good. Okay, now we figured that out, I say it's time for bed.' Deeks headed towards the stairs. As he was about to head upstairs, he saw Kensi stopping Narah. He decided to wait a little longer. To see what his girls would discuss.

'So just friends?' she asked and Narah nodded. 'And nothing  _really_  happened?' A tiny smile appeared on her face. Kensi laughed again.

'He might have kissed me,' Narah admitted. 'One quick kiss, after which we decided to be just friends.' Deeks took a deep breath. He had to have a talk with some teenage boy. But he saw the little smile on Narah's face and he relaxed. She was happy. That was all he needed. Maybe the boy could stay alive.

* * *

'Last night ended with a big shootout,' the anchor on the TV announced and Narah let her spoon fall in her bowl of cereal. The weekend had been confusing after her date on Friday. She had felt like sending a text to Chris, but that might be weird and she didn't know what to send to a boy who kissed you but you wanted to be friends with. And she would see him today again at school, which hopefully wasn't going to be that awkward. She really wanted to be able to stay friends with him.

Then this news was announced. The TV showed footage of her old neighborhood. The shock she felt was unfamiliar to her. She had gotten used to shootings in her neighborhood over the years. It wasn't the safest place to live, they all knew it. But now that she was outside of the neighborhood, she realized it wasn't normal to be used to it. That you should be shocked by that kind of news. She tried to find out where the shooting was from the footage. Just to see if it was close to her friends. Her phone started to ring and she answered it quickly.

'Narah! It's crazy here!' Ivan sounded excited, for some strange reason.

'I'm just seeing the news...about the shooting. What's going on?'

'Fratres Armis killed a cop and the entire LAPD showed up. I shit you not. There have never been so many cops here. They took on the entire gang. Most of them are arrested or dead...Narah, Fratres Armis is done!' Narah's mouth fell open. Her brain couldn't comprehend this on the early morning. She also knew that the gang could never have been rounded up completely. But when she heard hurried footsteps upstairs, she knew it was something big. Both Deeks and Kensi came hurrying down the stairs. She pointed at the news.

'Ivan...are you guys okay? Emily and Ming?'

'Yeah, we're great...' Narah smiled when she heard Emily and Ming shout in the background. 'We hardly noticed it last night. Just a little towards the end. The entire neighborhood is going crazy!' She looked at Deeks and Kensi, who both gave her a smile and she knew it was real. Fratres Armis was done.

* * *

Deeks was holding Kensi in his arms when consistent buzzing woke him and Kensi up. The call was from Eric and the message had been simple: the Fratres Armis had made their mistake. Right that moment they both wanted to see Narah, so they rushed down, where Narah pointed them towards the news. The shoot-out was all over the news.

'Is this real?' Narah asked once she had hung up and put her phone down.

'It will take a long time to round up the entire gang or the key players,' Deeks told her. 'But it seems to be real. LAPD was engaged in a shootout after one of their officers was shot dead by a member of Fratres Armis...they made their mistake.' The shock was clear on Narah's face: her eyes big and her mouth a little bit fallen open. Kensi walked over to her and stroked her hair.

'Are you okay, Narah?' she asked worried and Narah slowly nodded.

'It's just a bit strange...' she answered.

'A bit surreal?' Deeks asked and Narah nodded again. 'Yeah, I feel the same way...'

'Do you think I can go see my friends?' she asked hopeful. 'After school? Because I guess I can go see them now, right? They feel a bit stranger coming over here...in the fancy neighborhood...and if Fratres Armis is done...I can go into the neighborhood again, right?' Deeks and Kensi looked at each other. Was it really safe enough for their daughter to go in?

'Okay, you can go,' Kensi answered and Narah gave a little chair. 'But under the condition you go to Ming's house. She lives on the side and there might be some trouble in the middle of your neighborhood. And don't go to the gym. Stay inside...just for today.' Narah nodded.

'I promise!' she said cheerfully. 'We'll stay inside and behave! Can I text them now?'

'Eat your breakfast first,' Deeks said and he grabbed her phone before she could. 'You still have to get ready and go to school you know. Your friends come after school.' Narah took quickly several spoons of her cereal.

'Dwon,' she said with her mouth full and she held her hand out for her food.

'That is even grosser than Kensi and her candy,' Deeks said, a little impressed, and he handed Narah her phone.

* * *

'LAPD is handing over the evidence we need to make a case against the shooters of the youth center,' Eric told the team when they had all arrived at the Ops center. 'They didn't find our shooters among any of the gang members, but they're trying to get the information.'

'And Narah won't have to do anything for their investigation, right?' Kensi asked. Nell shook her head.

'It seems Narah is in the clear,' she answered. 'It might not even come to a testimony during the trail. LAPD has plenty to go on. The neighborhood seems to be cleaning themselves up as well. People are already heading for the youth center, coming together.'

'So it's really over,' Deeks breathed. His daughter wasn't going to be haunted or threatened anymore by this gang.

'Congratulations,' Sam said and both Kensi and Deeks smiled at him.

'And it has its advantages with LAPD taking over our case,' Callen said. 'It takes a hell lot less paperwork handing the case over than catching them ourselves. Though catching them would feel pretty good.'

'Well right now, I can settle for no paperwork,' Deeks replied and he leaned back on his chair.

'Oh Mister Deeks, I'm sure we can find some paperwork to do for you,' Hetty announced as she walked into the bullpen. 'I'm still missing some paperwork on the last case.'

* * *

Narah could hardly contain her happiness when she got to school. During the break she told her friends the good news. All of them congratulated her. It was a bit strange to be hugged by Chris, but Narah was glad it wasn't as awkward as she feared it would be. They quickly eased into their normal conversation, like their date and the kiss had never happened. Just friends, like they had agreed to. During math she had received texts from all her friends, and breaking all her new rules, Narah decided to skip PE to call her friends. As she was walking out of the school with Hannah and Chris by her side, she was laughing and ready to head to the neighborhood. Maria was in her usual spot by the car and Narah stopped when she saw her. Maria was wearing casual clothes. Some of her happiness was instantly replaced by sadness. With the Fratres Armis gone, there was no need for Maria's protection anymore.

'Umm...I will see you guys tomorrow, okay?' Narah said to Hannah and Chris, who nodded. They said a quick goodbye and Narah walked to the car. Maria smiled when she got to the car.

'Don't look so sad, Narah,' she said to the girl. 'It's good news.'

'But you will have to leave, don't you?' Narah asked and Maria nodded.

'My new assignment actually starts tomorrow,' she answered. Narah looked at her very own Special Agents of the last weeks and she realized she would miss Maria. Having her around had become so familiar and felt so safe.

'I'm gonna miss you,' Narah said and her lip began to tremble. Tears were filling up her eyes. Maria stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.

'I'm going to miss you too, kiddo,' she said. 'We had good times together. I'm going to miss seeing you every day...but I rather not see you. It means you're safe and no longer need protection from me. That's good.'

'Yeah...but you have to promise to keep visiting me!' Narah said.

'I will,' Maria promised and she stroked Narah's cheek. 'And you can still call me if you need someone who isn't Deeks or Kensi. To talk to about boys and kissing for example.'

'Don't!' Narah laughed.

'I will never,' Maria assured her and she let Narah go. She opened the car door. 'Now get in. I believe we have some friends to visit.' Maria walked around the car and got in the driver's seat.

* * *

There were so many people on the street, walking around with their heads up and laughing. It had been such a long time since Narah had seen that in her neighborhood. Driving around she saw so many familiar buildings and she realized she missed being in her neighborhood. It had been bad most of the times but she also had had wonderful times here.

'Can we maybe stop at the youth center?' Narah asked Maria. 'I know Deeks and Kensi didn't want me to get too close...but probably everyone is already there and I would really like to go there...' Maria seemed hesitant for a moment and then she nodded.

'Why not,' she answered. 'It's already my last day. But if I say we need to go...'

'...we're going,' Narah finished. Maria took a left turn and drove towards the youth center. There were a lot of people at the youth center, as Narah expected. The youth center always had been the heart of the neighborhood when it was safe enough to be. From afar Narah saw Maltino standing on a table, speaking to the people gathered around him. Narah stepped out of the car and headed towards the man. He laughed when he saw her.

'Narah, so good to see you!' he exclaimed and he hugged her.

'It's good to see you too, Mister M.,' Narah smiled. Maltino released her and took a good look at her.

'You look very good, Narah,' he said. 'Very healthy and looking very happy. Haven't seen you smile so much without Ivan and the rest of the gang.'

'Well we have reasons to smile again,' she replied and Maltino nodded firmly. There was excited screaming behind her, which Narah recognized right away, and soon Emily's arms were around her neck. Ivan's and Ming's soon followed. Narah joined in Emily's and Ming's excited screaming and looked at Ivan. The brightest smiles were on their faces. They only released each other when they needed oxygen. Ivan put his arm around Narah.

'Hey brother from another mother,' she greeted him and he squeezed her shoulder.

'Hey sister from yet another mother,' he replied.

'Okay, people!' Maltino shouted and Narah and Ivan turned to him. 'If you follow me, I will officially open the youth center for every child and adult again. We will get it back to its former glory as the family we once were!' Ivan released her shoulder and they followed Maltino towards the door. When they stood in front, Narah realized it had all started right here. The chance of her life. As Maltino pushed the doors open and everyone got inside, Narah stayed behind and she took a deep breath, looking at the building.

'It's over,' Narah mumbled, not able to believe the words that just came out of her mouth and the happiness the words brought to her.


	46. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own NCIS Los Angeles! My native language is Dutch and I'm dyslectic so sorry for any mistakes.

_Epilogue_

Kensi walked into the living room with their little boy on her hip. The room was a mess. Narah's stuff and Ryan's toys were all over the place, but Kensi didn't mind it at all. That was how their home was supposed to be. It seemed worse today as they were packing up all of Narah's stuff for her big adventure at college. They had made it to college and now their daughter was leaving their home. Away from them. She was convinced Narah would love it and be fine, but she wasn't sure about herself and Deeks.

Kensi put the struggling Ryan in the playpen and gently kissed the top of the little boy's head. She walked over to the table which was covered in piles of paper. Her eye fell on one of the papers sticking out of Narah's old mathematics book from the ninth grade. The sight was familiar and she grabbed the paper. She started to smile when she read the first sentence.

_Home_

_Three years ago I had gotten the assignment to write down the feeling I felt the most in my life. For my first draft I picked the truest feeling I was feeling at that time: "Lonely". It was how I felt back then. The feeling never left my side. I felt alone in this big world. I was the daughter of two teenagers who didn't have a clue. Living went day by day, figuring out how to survive each day. Two teenagers who weren't able to care for me and they left. My foster parents left me time after time. No one was there to stay. In the end everyone would always leave me. But by now, three years later, I chose the feeling "Home" for this assignment, which is not a real assignment but one I wanted to write nonetheless. Home because I can no longer feel lonely. People don't always leave. They can stay with me. I learned how it feels to be loved, unconditionally._

_Three years ago I was faced with the biggest change of my life. My entire life has changed within the last three years. It started with people, my friends, being murdered and my safe place being destroyed. The one place I felt happy and safe was taken away from me. The change started when I was covered in the blood of those friends. It was strangely my start of feeling home. It was how I met my mom and dad. I was questioned and assigned to them. They were ordered to keep me safe. I was hesitant. I thought I knew they would leave for sure, like all people in my life did. But they didn't. They never gave up and never left. Their order became what they wanted for the rest of their life. They wanted_ me _in the rest of their life. I felt less lonely with them. They cooked for me, talked with me, listened to me, they spent times with me and gave me rules to live by. They cared about me._

_Over that first year I reconnected with my biological mother and got the answers to those questions I had for all those years. It made me understand she just couldn't do it. With some help I learned to come to peace with my past and my biological parents. I have parents with whom I have a bond of blood and parents with whom I have a bond of love._

_Three years have gone by and my world has changed tremendously. Nothing is the same anymore. I went from lonely to home. I got real parents; the best I could wish for. I'm little Jamie's big (half-)sister and about a year ago I became the big sister of my adorable little brother Ryan Donald Deeks. Over the past three years I got to know love, care and safety. I feel at home. I now know what it means to have a family_...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to my sister, as always, for checking the story and help me continue with this story.
> 
> Also posted on fanfiction.net under Suuz-5-5.

**Author's Note:**

> The story is already fully written. It will be updated regularly.   
> Thanks to my sister for being my beta!


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